


The Anomalous and You

by illabyes



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: But with a supernatural twist, Daniel is a college student, M/M, Ong suddenly shows up in his life, Set in the modern world, Woojin also has the biggest age reversal ever lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-12-25 19:30:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12042708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illabyes/pseuds/illabyes
Summary: When Daniel is left to clean up his grandmother’s attic, he finds an old vanity that has a story to tell.That story harbors a ghost that leads Daniel to uncover the truth on a forgotten buried case.





	1. Chapter 1

The summers in Seoul can put many in an irritable mood; simply because it's too hot. Way too hot.

 

And Daniel wasn't really looking forward to this day. It was summer break but he was forced to clean out his grandmother's attic. Chores are chores and Daniel isn't a fan of them.

 

So here is Daniel now, in front of his grandmother's place and ready to finish this as quick as possible. He finds the spare key under the plant pot and lets himself in. 

 

The place was empty, save for the untouched furniture and various decorations on the walls. His grandmother was currently living at the nearby retirement home despite her protests that she was just fine on her own. But Daniel's mother would not have it and worried too much for his grandmother as she slowly became unable to walk on her own. 

 

Daniel strolls past the living room and goes up the stairs to where the attic's entrance was. He pulls down the retractable steps and he climbs up to where his workload was waiting for him.

 

Daniel surveys the room and he can instantly feel his heart drop. 

 

Except where he was standing, there were things cluttered everywhere, giving no room to move or make it any further in. There was also too much dust and Daniel silently criticized his grandmother for keeping all her stuff up here.

 

Thinking that it was better to start now then later, Daniel begins by picking up the things around him. There were boxes stacked on top of one another, and when Daniel takes a peek into one of them, he sees that they are filled with random trinkets and carved figures that are too old for his own tastes. He takes down the boxes one by one and loads them by the door. Eventually, he managed to clear about a quarter of the place and Daniel sighs in disappointment because it was taking way too long.

 

It was already late in the afternoon and Daniel decides that he deserves to rest outside for a small break. He pulls out his phone to call Jisung, hoping that his friend could help relieve the terribleness of the situation that he was currently in.

 

When he hears Jisung pick up, he musters up his most pitiful voice, 

 

"Ah, hyung...you have to save me."

 

Daniel hears Jisung sigh, "What did you get yourself into this time? I mean if you pissed Jaehwan off again, I'm not sure if I can help you."

 

Brief flashbacks of last week came to mind and Daniel shakes his head.

 

"No hyung, I'm at my grandmother's place forced to clean out her old stuff."

 

"Ha! Have fun."

 

"Hyung!"

 

"Sorry Niel, but your hyung doesn't have time right now to help you."

 

"You can't at least drop by later? You know to pitch in like a little?"

 

"...How about I take you out to eat later instead?"

 

"Fine, that's better than nothing."

 

"I'm being generous here! You try to get Jaehwan to offer you something. Anyways I'll see you in a few hours. Text me the address."

 

Daniel laughs, "Yeah, thanks."

 

"See you then you brat."

 

They both hang up and Daniel gets up with a tired sigh. He might as well make a decent amount of progress before Jisung comes.

 

When Daniel goes back up to the attic, he makes a plan to move all the bigger furniture to the center so that he could take care of them tomorrow.

 

He shifts around the various chairs and stands. He also starts a pile of other things that he could load onto his car by today. Eventually, most of the things were sorted into groups and Daniel applauds himself for his hard work.

 

After what he feels is a few hours, Daniel checks the time on his phone and remembers that Jisung could be here in a couple of minutes. So he makes one last move to the vanity that he sees in the corner.

 

The vanity was really heavy, partly because of the large mirror that sits on top. Daniel breaks out into a sweat just dragging it towards the group with the larger furniture.

 

"The hell is with this old thing," Daniel mutters.

 

When he finally makes it, he shifts it around so that it'll be easier to bring down the stairs tomorrow. 

 

Daniel was in the middle of wiping the sweat off his forehead when he hears a car beep outside. Satisfied with the work he did today, he almost giddily skips down to meet up with his friend downstairs.

 

He locks up and hurries to where Jisung was leaning against his car, busy on his smartphone.

 

"Take me away from my misery!"

 

Jisung pockets his phone and laughs at him,

 

"Poor Niel, forced to help out the elderly."

 

"Anyone wouldn't be happy if they had to do what I did."

 

Jisung pats his shoulder and gives a sympathetic look that Daniel knows is fake.

 

"Hyung, can we go now? I'm going to pass out due to hunger."

 

"Yeah, yeah." Jisung waves Daniel off and goes into his car. Daniel gets on his own and lets his friend lead the way.

 

They end up at one of Daniel's favorite places that serve, in his opinion, the best and only best Korean food.

 

Daniel happily shovels down his japchae as hasn't eaten anything in hours. Coupled with the work of moving around heavy things, Daniel truly was famished. 

 

He was in the middle of finishing his noodle dish when Jisung speaks up,

 

"Is there anything in the attic that was worth keeping?"

 

Daniel pauses and thinks about all the things he cleaned out today. No offense to his grandmother, but most of it was just junk or stuff he wouldn't ever use.

 

"Honestly, to me, no. It is all just old antique stuff. There was a vanity though."

 

Jisung perks up from his food, "A vanity? My sister has been looking for one. She's into that antique stuff as well."

 

"Yeah, but it's goddamn heavy because it has a large mirror."

 

"Hey, you're going to finish up tomorrow right? Send me pictures of the thing while you're at it."

 

Daniel gets an idea, "If you do end up taking it, think of it as payment for this lovely meal hyung." He playfully wiggles his eyebrows.

 

Jisung rolls his eyes, "This stuff is your grandmas. Are you sure you can just give it away?"

 

"Well, I'm under strict orders that I just clean out the attic and donate the stuff. And technically, I'm just donating the vanity to you."

 

"Strict orders? Did your mom tell you this."

 

"Uh, why?"

 

"What if your grandmother gets upset because it's her stuff."

 

"She won't, she even told me that she's glad that the attic is finally getting cleaned out."

 

"Okay, whatever you say then." 

 

Jisung gets up to go pay while Daniel finishes up. When he gets back, they bid their farewells and Daniel drives off. He makes a quick stop by the donation center to drop out what he managed to pack into his car today.

 

While driving back to his apartment, Daniel puts on a playlist and hums along to the songs.

 

As the sun sets outside, the sky is painted with his favorite shades of orange and pink. And when one of his favorite songs come on, he feels himself slowly easing into a good and relaxed mood.

 

He quietly sings along to the lyrics that he knows by heart. The singer's voice lulls his mind into a blank state and Daniel forgets about tomorrow's workload.

 

 

* * *

 

When Daniel heads back to his grandmother's place the next day, he feels refreshed and is ready to get the task done.

 

For the next few hours, Daniel empties out the attic and has most of the leftover furniture packed into his car. He leaves the vanity in the living room and takes out his phone to snap the pictures for Jisung. He moves the vanity closer to where the big windows were to get better lighting.

 

Daniel has his camera app ready when he gets the shock of the century.

 

A man, who he has never seen before, flashes on the mirror for a second.

 

Daniel lets out a yelp and looks behind him to see that no one was there.

 

When Daniel looks back to the mirror, he actually screams this time because the man was back, unfalteringly and persistently trying to hold his gaze.

 

"Oh my God, oh my God!"

 

Daniel trips on his feet trying to run away and he feels like he angered the guy because the drawers on the vanity begin to open and close rapidly. 

 

He yells out but it's futile because he knows that no one is there in the house with him.

 

The constant sounds of the slamming drawers only added to the fear that Daniel was trying desperately to hold off.

 

In what he believes to be a flight or fight moment, Daniel chooses to bolt after he gets back up and silently begs that this was a nightmare or some crazy hallucination.

 

He runs upstairs and debates whether to call emergency services, his mom, Jisung or all three.

 

He calls Jisung.

 

And what a mistake he made because the guy never picked up.

 

Now Daniel is in the middle of calling his mom when he hears that the drawers had stopped.

 

With his heart thundering so loud in his chest, he feels the only slightest bit of relief. Daniel considers whether or not he should continue with the call and ultimately decides that he should do what stupid but brave men do  — to go back downstairs and have a look at what's going on.

 

He really wasn't a fan of his decision because as he slowly descends the steps, the quietness gave a chilling and ominous feeling.

 

When he finally reached the last step, he takes a peek from behind the wall and immediately, his fear is alleviated because the man wasn't there in the mirror anymore. But some of the drawers were halfway opened after having stopped moving midway and Daniel gets this bad feeling that he legitimately wasn't dreaming or having delusions about the whole thing. 

 

Daniel was still very weary as he saw how some stuff goes down in movies.

 

After when he feels like he's at least calm enough to where his hands weren't shaking, he ventures around and finds a frying pan in the kitchen. Through what he deemed was reasonable thinking, Daniel believed that the man would disappear forever if he broke the mirror.

 

With the frying pan handle gripped in both hands, Daniel takes small steps towards the vanity. His palms were sweaty which made his grip a bit loose, but Daniel prided in his strength to get it all done in one go.

 

He is a few feet away from the vanity when he feels something tap on his shoulder. Instinctively, he looks behind him and is filled with dread.

 

There he was, the mirror man, live and in person.

 

And he looks happy when he greets Daniel.

 

But Daniel is so shocked to the point where he goes as still as a statue for a couple of seconds. When he finally gets his mind back, he lets out another scream and swings the pan at the man — who actually dodges his hit and the two begin to scuffle around before Daniel goes with a quickly made up emergency plan and runs to the front door.

 

Caught between looking forward and behind him, Daniel's brain was short circuiting because the next thing he knows, he slams head first into his grandma's cabinet glass holder.

 

Daniel sees black before his consciousness leaves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first story after I stopped writing years ago ;w; Chapter two should be up later!
> 
> I apologize for any wording errors or mistakes as I am a one man team ;o
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! and come talk to me! I'm illabyes@tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

When he comes to, Daniel finds himself on his grandmother's couch and is utterly confused. There's a light throbbing in his head and Daniel tries to recall anything from his memories that could provide some sort of an explanation.

 

He sits up and he sees that Jisung is across from him.

 

"Hyung?"

 

Jisung is startled but he looks up and Daniel can see visible relief in his expression.

 

"Jesus Christ, Niel!"

 

Daniel is even more puzzled, "Uh, do you know what happened?"

 

Jisung doesn't get a chance to explain because the next thing that happens causes Daniel's heart rate to unconsciously spike.

 

A man, who looked about his age, walks into the living room with a concerned look on his face.

 

He is tall with black hair and dark eyes. He also has a face that is too attractive for Daniel to consider fair.

 

When the guy moves to sit with Jisung, Daniel looks around the room before he stops at the vanity by the window.

 

Suddenly, his mind starts doing things and he remembers. 

 

He jolts backward only to hit the back of the couch.

 

"Jisung, you have to get away from him!"

 

Jisung gives him a sympathetic look and the man looks away with guilt. Jisung gives a friendly pat on the guy's shoulder and starts to speak, "This guy told me everything once I got here. You called me while I was at work, and I got kind of worried when I called you back and you never picked up."

 

Daniel recalls that he was annoyed at Jisung for not picking up when he felt like his life was on the line.

 

"So, I drove to your place but your car wasn't there. I even called your mother and she said that you might be at your grandmother's place, and so I stopped here next. But when I knocked on the door, this guy right here was the one who greeted me and I was surprised, like he kind of looks like a model?"

 

"Hyung," Daniel deadpans.

 

The stranger has a humorous smile on but it disappears when he sees that Daniel is looking at him.

 

Jisung continues, "Anyways, he let me inside and I saw you passed out on the couch. I thought you got drunk or something, but then I see this welt on your forehead,"

 

Daniel reaches up to touch his forehead to confirm that, yes, he is still swelling there.

 

"And so then I think, does Daniel need to go to the hospital or something? But then I remember this guy here is behind me and I turn to him."

 

Daniel doesn't even bother to hide his stare at the guy now, and when he notices that, he coughs awkwardly and takes it as his cue to speak up.

 

“So...I told Jisung what happened and that I came out of the vanity's mirror and scared you so much to the point where you blacked out trying to run away."

 

Daniel looks back to the vanity to see a peek of his sandy blonde hair in the mirror. He gets the chills that the guy literally climbed out from there.

 

Daniel clears his throat, "What the hell?"

 

The guy looks bashful as he reaches up to scratch the back of his neck.

 

He's so strange, but Daniel thinks that if the circumstances were different, he might actually like the guy. But sadly, Daniel feels like he is on the verge of running away again.

 

Daniel doesn't know what the say, but that was probably because his nerves were driving him crazy. His heart was beating so fast that he couldn't think properly.

 

The atmosphere is tense and awkward and thankfully, Jisung couldn't for stand that.

 

"Hey," Jisung turns to the guy next to him. "You never gave us a name."

 

The guy looks really embarrassed as he covers the sides of his face with his hands, "I actually don't know my name or who I am."

 

And the room goes still.

 

Inside his mind, Daniel is losing it as he tries to connect everything together. Daniel has so many questions and he couldn't help himself when he blurts out,

 

"Are you a ghost?!"

 

"Uhm..."

 

"Have you been haunting my grandma? Are you haunting me?"

 

Daniel's breaths are getting shorter and he thinks that he might be experiencing his first panic attack ever. Jisung notices this and tries to calm him down, "Niel, seriously relax or something. Hey, mysterious guy, you're not a ghost, right? I mean I can touch you," and Jisung demonstrates by giving him a light poke on his arm.

 

The guy openly contemplates before giving his answer, "...I could possibly be a ghost. Like I said, I really don't know who I am. I mean, I think it's a miracle that I can actually understand your language."

 

"Huh...what should we call you then?" Jisung asks.

 

"I'm not sure. I also don't know how long I'm staying in this world."

 

Daniel gets an idea, "Hey, can you like try to see if you can go back into the mirror?"

 

The guy stares at him.

 

Daniel tries to avoid the guys gaze, "Just a random idea you know? Since things aren't clearly normal right now."

 

He gets up, "I guess I'll try?" and he makes his way to the vanity. He looks at Daniel as he holds out his hand to touch the mirror — nothing happens.

 

He tries his other hand to see that nothing happens as well.

 

The guy then tries his head and Daniel almost feels himself laugh at the sight.

 

Jisung stands up, "Well okay, looks like you can't go back through there." He continues to talk as he moves closer to Daniel, "You seem like a nice guy and you obviously need a place to stay. I also think that since you're practically a newborn child in your current state, someone should stay with you."

 

Jisung looks at Daniel.

 

Daniel automatically wants to say no, but Jisung doesn't give him the chance.

 

"I live in the campus dorms and I already have a roommate. So my place is a no. But Niel here,"

 

Daniel cuts in, "Listen, mystery guy, you do seem okay minus the fact that you came out of nowhere. But I-"

 

"Kang Daniel!"

 

Daniel jumps at Jisung's raised voice.

 

"You will be a hospitable host to this poor guy who literally has nothing."

 

Daniel stands up and drags Jisung to the kitchen. In a hushed voice, he lets out why he thinks that it's a bad idea to have a random guy live with him.

 

"What if he is lying? What if he's here to seek revenge? What if I am the target of his vengeance because maybe I did something in my past life? Hyung, I have been so close to pissing my pants all day because of this guy."

 

Jisung gives him a pointed look before whispering back, "I actually think that he is being sincere. Listen, I do feel kind of bad that he scares you to the point where you look pitiful."

 

"You weren't there when I actually saw him in the mirror! I thought the vanity was possessed because the drawers were opening on their own!"

 

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry Niel," Jisung holds out his right hand, "I swear to God that I'll try to be more understanding of your conditions."

 

Daniel hits Jisung's arm who yells in response.

 

"I'm your hyung!"

 

"Well, you're obviously not being the older and mature one here because you're not taking this situation seriously!"

 

"I honestly believe that the guy is telling the truth. Call it on a whim, but I just get these vibes that he is actually friendly. And I just feel bad if we abandon him because he seems so lost."

 

Jisung has a serious look on his face that Daniel doesn't see often. His eyes also portray a hint of sadness and Daniel feels guilty as it seems as though the elder has come to care about the stranger. If Daniel is being honest, he doesn't want to leave the guy on his own either. 

 

Daniel pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, "If he lives with me, where do I even go from there?"

 

Jisung lightly punches him, "You become Sherlock Holmes of course! You dig around and try to piece together his identity. I mean, I would love to help you out but I am busy with work you know?"

 

Daniel glares at him, "If you haven't forgotten, I am just a college student. Where would I even begin the search for information?"

 

Jisung thinks for a bit, "Hey, isn't Jaehwan a cop?"

 

"We are not asking Jaehwan for help!"

 

"Aren't you guys on good terms now? It's not like we are going to meddle in his relationships again."

 

"But I still don't feel comfortable asking him for favors."

 

"I feel like he's going to be very curious about this mysterious person though?"

 

"Jaehwan is going to be my last resort if I do go all detective on the guy."

 

"Whatever, so you'll let the guy live with you?"

 

Daniel makes up a quick pro's and con's list inside his mind and he is alarmed when a particular point crosses his mind, "What if the guy puts a knife to my throat in my sleep?"

 

"Listen, Mr. 180 cm with the broad shoulders and muscles, I guarantee you that the guy wouldn't want to mess with you considering your build."

 

"He can still wield a knife when I'm defenseless asleep!"

 

"Hide all of your kitchen knives then?"

 

"You're not taking this serious again!"

 

Jisung sighs, "What if I stay with you guys while he lives with you? I'll even take the couch."

 

"He'll kill us both."

 

"Is there anything that I can say that'll convince you to take him in?"

 

"Why does he have to live with one of us? Can't we just drop him off at the homeless shelter or something?"

 

"I told you! He's currently like a newborn child! He doesn't know who he is, he needs someone to help guide him."

 

Daniel just wants this to end. He also feels like they've been in the kitchen for too long.

 

And so, he takes a long deep breath and decides once again to do what brave and stupid men do.

 

He'll do what Jisung wants.

 

"I'll take him in."

 

Jisung hugs his side and pats his shoulder, "You know you can trust hyung right? I swear that this guy wouldn't even harm a fly. He's an innocent child I tell you."

 

"What happens when the child starts to grow up?"

 

Jisung hushes him. "One step at a time Niel."

 

They walk out of the kitchen and back to the living room. The guy looks at them patiently when he sees that they are back.

 

Jisung pushes Daniel towards the guy, "For the time being, you'll live with Daniel here."

 

The guy makes it so hard for Daniel to say no to. When he stands in front of Daniel, he gives him a bright smile and immediately thanks him for giving him a place to stay at.

 

Daniel returns his smile with a shy one as he looks away. When he is this close to the guy, his good looks do funny things to him.

 

"So, we need to get some things if you're going to stay with me." Daniels says.

 

"Of course."

 

Daniel tries so hard not to be awkward about this, "We should go then?"

 

"Okay, I'll follow you then," and the guy flashes him another smile which causes Daniel to bump into the couch as he walks to the front door.

 

When they are all outside, Daniel guesses that it's already late given how the sky begins to darken. Daniel recalls that he did spend his entire day inside and he is thankful for the fresh air.

 

He figures that they only need to make a quick stop at the donation center to drop off the remaining stuff, as well as the supermarket to pick up enough food for the both of them. Daniel normally only goes grocery shopping once a month due to his tendency to eat out. But now, he has to feed another person and it can get expensive if they both eat out every day.

 

Before Daniel can get into his car, Jisung pulls him away for a quick moment, "By the way, it feels wrong if I took the vanity now so I'm not going to."

 

And Daniel understands as he doesn't feel like it's right if he left it at the donation center.

 

When they both part ways, Daniel suddenly realizes that he's going to be alone with the guy in his car.

 

And he cringes because his awkwardness is going to come out no matter what.

 

As he gets into the driver's seat, he can feel the guy's gaze on him and he does his best to look nonchalant.

 

When he starts the car, he clears his throat.

 

"So, we're going to the donation center because," he gestures to all the things piled on the backseat, "I need to drop these off."

 

"Okay cool," the guy says.

 

Daniel doesn't know what to say next so he just starts to drive off, internally cursing himself for being like this.

 

A few minutes later, he realizes that he cannot stand the silence and so he attempts to have some sort of conversation with the guy.

 

"So, it seems as though you still remember some other things? Like you seem to know how to interact with others."

 

"Oh well, I think it just comes naturally to me. Like speaking and understanding language. I guess some things are just so programmed into you that you never really forget them."

 

"Shouldn't knowing your name be one of them?" And Daniel means this as a joke but he sees the guy's downcasted expression from the corner of his eye.

 

"I'm so sorry. I understand if it's a touchy subject."

 

The guy, as nice as ever, tries to reassure him, "No, you are right though. I should know something as obvious as my name. I don't know why I got kind of sad. It's just..." he pauses.

 

There's a moment of silence before he speaks up again, "I just would like for you to call me by my name. I want an identity.”

 

His words were thoughtful and Daniel is taken aback by his confession. But he understands the guy because there are some people who spend a lifetime trying to find out who they are and he was robbed of any progress he might have made.

 

The rest of the car ride to the donation center is quiet, but the mood isn't unbearable. Daniel even feels like he can learn to become comfortable around him.

 

At the front of the place, Daniel quickly unloads the car and when the guy offers to help him, he waves him off and says it's fine. Daniel jokingly said that the lifting is a good workout and he flexes his arm for fun. He is both relieved and happy that the guy lets out a small laugh at his jest.

 

He might just become good friends with the guy.

 

 

* * *

 

When they get back to Daniel's place after making a trip to the supermarket, Daniel immediately gets started on dinner because of how late it was. As he heads to the kitchen, he tells the guy to make himself at home and keeps a close eye on him as he preps the ingredients.

 

Daniel isn't a chef, but he isn't a disaster in the kitchen.

 

He knows how to cook some things, and with the groceries he just got, he starts a simple jjigae dish. He keeps the spice mild with only adding a bit of kimchi and he fills the soup with other things that he hopes that his guest likes.

 

When it's done, he brings the pot to the kitchen table and prepares two bowls with rice for the both of them.

 

He calls for the guy who was watching whatever show was on. Once they had both settled down, Daniel starts to speak up, "So, I don't know if you like spicy things, but it's kimchi and everyone here eats kimchi."

 

The guy just looks at him and Daniel starts to blabber, "Uh, assuming that you are from here, I mean, you're most likely Korean right? Like South Korean, because I don't know what to do if I'm harboring an illegal from the North..."

 

"I'm pretty sure I'm from here." He laughs, "I have these strong doubts that I'm from North Korea."

 

"Ah, okay well, I hope you like the food?" Daniel wants to hit himself for making it awkward again.

 

He watches as the guy takes a small spoonful of the broth and he can't help but feel a swell of pride when the guy quickly begins to devour the rest.

 

"This is really good! I didn't realize that I would be so hungry, but I think I can get used to your cooking." He beams and the corner of Daniel's lips curve into a grin.

 

As they both eat, the guy would say something every so often and Daniel finds that he's easy to talk to and he can feel his previous worries begin to slowly ebb away. He still keeps a part of him alert because the guy technically is a stranger. 

 

But when they are both done with dinner and the guy wanders outside to his balcony, Daniel feels like he is at home as he watches the guy look at the sky with a warm smile that shows with his eyes.

 

There was just something about him that makes Daniel feel like he’ll go along with whatever he wants.

 

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Daniel decides to play into Jisung's proposed plan to go detective on who the mystery guy is.

 

So far, he knows a couple of random things about the guy, but he doesn't know for sure if they are true because they are all based on the guy's feelings and intuition.

 

After going through a list of all the people that he can talk to, Daniel decides to start with the person who has some sort of connection to the guy.

 

They drive off to the retirement home that his grandmother lived at. On the car ride there, he informs the guy of what's going on and he actually looks excited and his good mood puts Daniel in a good mood.

 

When they arrive at the place and find her room, Daniel greets his grandmother and introduces her to the guy.

 

"So grandma, this is my friend," he gestures next to him and the guy smiles and bows.

 

"It's nice to meet you."

 

His grandmother returns the greeting and ushers for them to sit down. Once they are all settled in, Daniel tries to slowly ease into the purpose behind the trip.

 

"Grandma, I was cleaning out your attic when I found this old vanity."

 

"Ah!" his grandmother says. "That old thing. It is kind of nice though right? It has some of the strangest stories though."

 

Daniel raises his brow in curiosity, "Strange stories?"

 

She smiles, "Yeah, it varies but the most popular one was that it was crafted from an unnamed necromancer who specialized with souls."

 

"Oh wow," Daniel says. It seemed far-fetched and it doesn't make sense, but he looks at the guy next to him and realizes that nothing seems ordinary to him anymore. "Do you happen to remember where you got it?"

 

She thinks for a moment, "It was your grandfather who found it. I don't know where, but I think he said once that it was thrown away."

 

"So it's just been up in the attic for all these years?"

 

His grandmother leans back into her chair, "Yeah, I never really had a use for it even though it was in good condition. I had other people look at it and that's where I heard the stories. But Niel-ah, why are you curious about the vanity?"

 

Daniel wonders if he should tell his grandmother the truth but decides against it because it's most likely too bizarre for her to understand.

 

"It's nothing. Jisung kind of wants something like it and I wondered if you could still buy it somewhere."

 

"Oh, Jisungie! You should tell him to visit sometime."

 

He smiles softly at her, "Yeah, I'll make sure to let him know."

 

Daniel is at a dead end but then an idea comes to him, "Hey, grandma, my friend here actually lives near your house." He turns to the guy.

 

"I was wondering when you were going to give me a name." She laughs at the guy.

 

"Oh, I’m...Jaehwan?" the guy says hesitantly as he looks at Daniel who widens his eyes in response.

 

"Jaehwan-ah! You're Niel's cop friend right?"

 

"Haha yeah..."

 

Daniel jumps in, "Grandma, you've never seen Jaehwan around?"

 

She looks like she's trying to remember something for a second but she shakes her head, "No, but Jaehwan-ah, you're so handsome! I didn't know there are handsome cops like you nowadays."

 

The guy playfully shrugs at the compliment, "I'm really not that special."

 

Daniel watches as both his grandmother and "Jaehwan" joke around and decides that there is no other information he can gain from the visit.

 

He stands, "Well grandma, Jaehwan here actually has to go back to work soon so we'll have to see you later."

 

“I'm just starting to get to know your friend here! But alright, I'll see you on your next visit then." She smiles at him as she pats the guy's hands.

 

They bid their farewells and when they are out of the room, Daniel whips his head to the guy, "Where did you get Jaehwan from?"

 

"Oh, I heard you and Jisung mention him in the kitchen the other day."

 

Realization dawns on Daniel, "You heard our entire conversation?"

 

The guy looks troubled, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation! It's just that, you guys were kind of loud."

 

"Oh, God. Okay, it's not your fault. Just forget about it okay? I'm sorry you had to hear that." Daniel feels kind of bad because he wasn't really nice about the guy in that particular talk with Jisung.

 

"Yeah of course."

 

They continue to walk to the car before the guy speaks up, "Well, it seems as though your grandmother didn't know much. But hey a necromancer?"

 

"It sounds crazy but I don't know, you did come out of a mirror. Maybe it's the era for impossible things to happen." Daniel shrugs.

 

The guy thinks, "Can we go ask your grandfather to hear what he knows?"

 

"No, he passed away awhile ago."

 

He suddenly looks regretful, "Oh, I'm sorry about the loss."

 

Daniel lightheartedly chuckles, "It's no big deal, he has been gone for many years now."

 

After getting back in the car, Daniel drives off feeling bothered because he thought his grandmother would know more.

 

And it doesn't help that the more time he spends with the guy, the more his desire to help him grows. Daniel gets a bad feeling when he starts to feel attached to someone that he shouldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up tomorrow!
> 
> Kudos/comments are always <333 and come talk to me! illabyes@tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks passed by and Daniel has made absolutely no progress in finding out who the mystery guy could be.

 

But in those weeks, Daniel feels as though they had become better friends and he has come to enjoy the guy’s fun quirks and what not’s.

 

He can be hilarious at times, with his funny jokes and exaggerated expressions. He's everything that Daniel looks for in a friend.

 

And not to mention, Daniel isn't paranoid of the guy anymore because he's just so friendly and likable. Maybe it's part of the guy's plan, to lower Daniel's guard and make his move when he's least suspected. But honestly, Daniel doesn't feel like he cares about that anymore. He's just that likable.

 

On a bright morning, Daniel decides to introduce him to another one of his friends, Hwang Minhyun.

 

Minhyun is nice and smart and Daniel feels like he could tell him about the current situation and perhaps in return give him a few ideas on what to do next. He had high hopes for Minhyun's advice and so they arranged to meet up at a nearby cafe.

 

When Daniel and the guy get to the cafe, Daniel sees that Minhyun had already arrived and is sitting at a table near the back. 

 

As the guy introduces himself to Minhyun, Daniel notices a quizzical look on Minhyun's face.

 

He get's a weird feeling and it only grows when Minhyun keeps eyeing the guy in an odd way.

 

When they all sit down, Daniel orders his usual cafe latte and gives pointers on what the guy should order for himself. When he looks up, he immediately sees how Minhyun is studying them. 

 

Daniel decides to finally speak up, "Hey, is something up? You have this look on your face."

 

Minhyun shakes his head, "No, it's just that..." he pauses as he stares at the guy who shifts uncomfortably next to Daniel.

 

"I think I've seen your friend around before."

 

Daniel widens his eyes, "Wait really? Where?"

 

The guy perks up and leans toward Minhyun, "You know who I am?"

 

Minhyun's slightly surprised by the guy's forwardness and he moves back a little, "I'm sorry I don't remember your name, but I've definitely seen your face before."

 

The guy visibly deflates and Daniel hates to see him all upset. 

 

He decides to tell Minhyun what's been going on. And if by nature, Minhyun automatically looks sympathetic towards the guy when he learns of his lack of identity.

 

Minhyun reaches over to touch the guy's shoulder, "Hey, I'll look around and see what I can find. Even if I don't know your name, I'm pretty sure I've read or heard it somewhere before."

 

The guy gives him a small smile, "Thanks, that would mean a lot to me."

 

They talk for awhile more and Daniel sees that Minhyun is enjoying the guy's company. Even if they don't know his name, he still fits in without any trouble and Daniel thinks that has to be a talent in itself.

 

When it's time to leave, they're all in a better mood and Minhyun makes them promise him to hang out again sometime soon.

 

They say their goodbyes and Daniel and the guy head back home.

 

 

* * *

 

It was later that evening when things began to move forward. That evening was the start of all the hectic things to come.

 

Minhyun did actually look around to see what he could find, and he immediately texted Daniel when he found the answer to the biggest mystery in their lives.

 

Daniel was lying on his couch, watching TV and doing absolutely nothing productive. It was summer break and that meant that he had the privilege to be lazy. 

 

When he gets a text from Minhyun, he pulled out his phone and didn't expect anything big until he reads the message.

 

Daniel is dumbfounded for a moment before he looks at the image that Minhyun attached to the text.

 

 

_ Minhyun: His name! _

 

_ [attached image] _

 

 

Daniel's eyes go straight to the face in the photo.

 

And he is shocked because he was able to quickly recognize who the person is.

 

He sees his mystery friend on what looks to be a poster.

 

As Daniel examines the photo closer, he notices a name printed across in a stylized font,

 

 

_ Ong Seongwoo. _

 

 

Daniel instinctively yells out for the guy who was somewhere in the apartment. 

 

Daniel must have had a crazy look on his face because the guy runs towards him with a worried expression, "Daniel, what's wrong?"

 

He goes quiet for a long time as he stares at the name again. It looked like it obviously belonged to the face in the picture, but there was no other reason as to why that it could be. This doesn't shake Daniel off as he gets a gut feeling that his initial guess was undeniably correct.

 

"Seongwoo."

 

"Huh?"

 

"You must be Ong Seongwoo." Daniel holds up his phone to him.

 

He looks shocked before it morphs into something else. The guy appeared to be in a deep thought as his eyebrows furrow and his lips thin into a straight line.

 

"...It makes sense."

 

Daniel looks at him in surprise, "What?"

 

He sits down beside Daniel on the couch.

 

"I woke up the other day thinking that I was someone else, but then I realized that it was only a memory."

 

Daniel's even more confused, "Wait, you're not making sense."

 

"I had a dream where I was a singer on a stage. And I thought that was my reality until I opened my eyes and heard your voice waking me up."

 

He looks at Daniel with a serious expression before he gives a hint of a smile.

 

"Ong Seongwoo sounds right to me. I feel like I must be an Ong Seongwoo."

 

Daniel is at a loss for words; he is glad when Minhyun sends him more messages to distract him.

 

 

_ Minhyun: My mom used to be a big fan and she kept his posters _

 

_ Minhyun: I think Ong is way older than he looks _

 

_ Minhyun: My mom was a fan when she was a teen... _

 

 

"Wait what," Daniel says aloud and he feels Seongwoo lean closer to read the texts.

 

"You have to be really old if what Minhyun is saying is true."

 

Daniel looks closely at Seongwoo and he cannot honestly believe that the man in front of him was supposed to be years older than him. He figured it must be one of those weird things that come with living inside a mirror. He also thinks about what his grandmother said and he wonders what kind of bizarre things are happening.

 

Seongwoo eyes Daniel sheepishly, "Well, it does seem like I was away for quite a long time."

 

Daniel is still processing everything when Seongwoo stands up, "Hey, I think I'm going to go lie down. My head feels a little worn out with all of this."

 

Daniel jumps up in concern, "You okay though? I mean you did learn a big thing today."

 

Seongwoo grins, "Yeah, I think I'm honestly truly happy inside. It's what I've been looking for you know?"

 

When Seongwoo goes to his room, Daniel scrambles for his laptop to look up the burning questions that were bothering him inside.

 

Why did Seongwoo disappear? How old is Seongwoo? How real is necromancy or sorcery? Is there a guide on what to do when someone comes out of a vanity?

 

It turns out, Naver doesn't know either. 

 

In fact, Naver doesn't know the Ong Seongwoo that he knows, and anything related to his questions about magic sends him to these online fantasy game sites.

 

Daniel does find the social media accounts of the other Ong Seongwoo's in Korea, but he finds nothing that is able to relate to his friend.

 

He is incredibly dumbfounded because Seongwoo was supposed to a celebrity, but yet the world doesn't know of his existence.

 

Daniel goes through some reasoning inside of his head and he thinks that maybe Seongwoo really wasn't that big of a public figure. And the guy is supposed to be really old so maybe the internet didn't have information on him back then.

 

He still searches regardless of feeling like it's useless. It wasn't until he goes through pages of the search results did he find anything remotely related his Seongwoo  — a forum that has a community that talks about things that range from murders to conspiracies. 

 

Daniel reads through the post he found and frowns when he gets to the end.

 

The post was dated back nearly a decade ago and the original poster talked about a topic that was too dark for Daniel to see any relations to his friend.

 

 

_ "...an uprising singer named Ong Seongwoo started off from a poor management company. He wasn't able to hit it big until later, but his fame shortly ended when he fell to his death on his own will." _

 

 

The post did mention the one thing that Daniel knows about Seongwoo — he was once a singer.

 

But Daniel takes the information with a grain of salt. The forum clearly doesn't have a reputable source and if Daniel was honest, it made him feel uneasy that Seongwoo could've committed suicide.

 

He tries to dig a little more into Naver, but despite his relentless attempts, he finds nothing more.

 

He considers all the options he has now and he wants to hit his head against the wall when he finds that his best choice was to contact a certain someone.

 

Daniel sighs as he pulls out his phone to type out a short message that he hopes doesn't sound too desperate.

 

At this point, he needs all the help that he can get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey if anyone has been playing that game called the musician (더뮤지션) that wanna one collaborated with, pls add me i'm mooeymoe :>
> 
> kudos/comments are always <3


	4. Chapter 4

Seongwoo was still feeling under the weather when Daniel left the house the next day.

 

He decided to check on him and found the guy sleeping even though it was almost noon. Daniel's worried because he doesn't know exactly what he's going through inside. He knows Seongwoo must have something going on and he could only hope that he gets better. 

 

Daniel figured out that the best way to help him out is to look into the rest of his background story. Hopefully, it'll give him some sense of closure of the life he lost.

 

After much consideration and internal contemplation, Daniel ends up enlisting the only cop he knows, Jaehwan, to help search for anything that could relate to Seongwoo.

 

Daniel isn't exactly on good terms with Jaehwan given their previous encounters. But he gave a sincere apology and even crawled on his knees because Jaehwan kind of has an evil side to him. Jaehwan doesn't hold grudges and that's why he didn't kick Daniel to the curb when he asked for a favor. Of course, however, Jaehwan isn't exactly on board with the Seongwoo investigation.

 

"Tell me again why I should bother sneaking around my own goddamn workplace to steal a possible file on a guy who's probably not even real?"

 

Daniel sighs as he makes himself comfortable on Jaehwan's couch. He knew it's going take some time to convince the cop to do anything. When Daniel got to his apartment, Jaehwan made it quite clear that his willingness to help was particularly non-existent. Even when he promised to pay him back with another favor, the guy didn't take it as an incentive. When Daniel began to get desperate, he talked about Seongwoo's amnesia but Jaehwan piped up that he doesn't do things out of pity.

 

Daniel shakes his head, "You leave me no choice," he pulls out his phone.

 

"What are you doing? You know you're lucky that we're still friends aft-"

 

Daniel cuts Jaehwan short when the dial tone rang after plugging in a number. It rings for a few seconds before a familiar voice picked up.

 

"Hello?" he hears Minhyun say on the other line.

 

Jaehwan glares at Daniel.

 

"Hey hyung, so I'm trying to get Jaehwan to help me find out more about Seongwoo, but he isn't really budging even though I promised to pay him back."

 

"My job is on the line! Daniel's asking me to toss away my career to snoop around!" Jaehwan yells at the phone.

 

Minhyun clucks his tongue at disapproval, "Seongwoo is going through something hard right now. Honestly Jaehwan, where is your humanity."

 

"Humanity?! I personally find it insanely weird that he came out a mirror! Hyung, have you even met the guy?"

 

"As a matter of fact, I have. And Seongwoo is a good guy who doesn't deserve to suffer."

 

Jaehwan pinches his nose bridge out of stress, "I don't know how you two can trust this stranger so easily."

 

"I harbored this stranger in my home for weeks now and he hasn't tried to kill or sabotage anyone," Daniel adds.

 

Jaehwan looks at Daniel like as if he's crazy, "You let a stranger who came from nowhere live with you? Oh man, did you lose it or something? Or were you that lonely and desperate?"

 

Daniel slaps Jaehwan's arm, "Jisung-hyung forced the idea on me and I admit, I was taking a risk but the guy is seriously not some dangerous psycho."

 

After their little squabble, Minhyun finally speaks up, "Jaehwan, you trust me right?"

 

Jaehwan comically turns around and raises his arms in exasperation, "Oh not this again." He quickly turns back, "You know what? Fine! I'll look into this Ong Seongwoo guy." He then points at Daniel, "But you owe me."

 

"Thank goodness you still have a heart in you." Minhyun cheers from the other end.

 

"This has nothing to do wi-"

 

"Hyung loves you Jaehwanie! But hyung has to go now, so bye you two!" and Minhyun hangs up.

 

Jaehwan gives Daniel the cruelest look he could muster but it only makes him laugh.

 

"I can't believe you used Minhyun against me."

 

Daniel shrugs, "I had to convince you somehow."

 

Jaehwan lets out a long, defeated sigh and turns to the kitchen. He's about a few feet away before he startles Daniel with his sudden question, "Say, why do you guys care so much about this Ong guy? Why do you invest so much time into him?"

 

Daniel rubs his arm, "Well Minhyun is just too nice and I..."

 

Daniel wondered this himself and he thought that he concluded that he is only doing all of this because Seongwoo is the most interesting thing to have appeared in his life so far. It was also summer break which would have normally been relatively boring due to his lack of schedules. But Daniel also thinks that he cares for Seongwoo because he sees him as an actual friend. He remembered feeling pained when he imagined Seongwoo possibly considering suicide in his past life.

 

"He's a good guy. You may think that he fooled me and that he is not who he says he is, but I still believe in him."

 

Jaehwan scoffs but Daniel feels like it's lighthearted,

 

"You're more gone than I thought."

 

 

* * *

 

When Daniel gets back home, he sees that Seongwoo still hasn't regained any ounce of his usual cheerfulness. 

 

Seongwoo greets him and he gives him small smiles. The sight only dampens his mood because Daniel thinks that he can't fake bigger ones.

 

After having dinner, they're both on the couch watching some comedy-drama to hopefully lighten the mood. 

 

The first half of the episode goes by and Daniel could clearly see that it's not doing anything.

 

He eventually tries to get Seongwoo to talk to him.

 

"Hey, are you feeling even worse than yesterday?"

 

Seongwoo looks at him tiredly, "Yeah, I've been getting more and more flashbacks after learning who I was."

 

Daniel feels dread rise when a certain forum post flashes through his mind.

 

"You want to talk about it?"

 

The silence does nothing to convince Daniel that the post was a lie. As Daniel thinks about it now, it kind of fits if Seongwoo is low in spirits because he remembers a sad moment.

 

"No, not right now. I'm sorry, but there's a lot for me to take in." Seongwoo turns away.

 

Daniel reaches out to gently touch his shoulder, "Don't be sorry. You're not doing anything wrong. I think it's better to let someone know what's going on if you're troubled, but it can also take time before you can let it out."

 

"You're too good to me Daniel." Seongwoo leans into his touch.

 

Daniel takes his hand off to scratch his neck when he feels his cheeks flush, "Oh, um I just want you to know that I am here to help you." 

 

It goes silent before he suddenly gets an idea, "I know what can cheer you up, let's go clubbing!"

 

Seongwoo looks confused, "Clubbing?"

 

"Yeah you know, let's forget about the bad things for now and get out of the house tonight. I'll even call Jisung to join us!"

 

"Uh..." Seongwoo says reluctantly. 

 

Daniel feels like his idea might not be so great now as he watches Seongwoo debate internally with himself.

 

"It can be fun, but if you really don't want to then we won't."

 

"No wait, let's go." He says so suddenly that it surprises Daniel a little. 

 

"Okay, I'm going to go call Jisung then. You go get dressed. Look through my closet to find something nice but not too nice."

 

"I'm not sure what you mean but I'll try?" Seongwoo walks to his room as Daniel calls Jisung to tell him that he's going clubbing with them no matter what.

 

When Daniel goes to his room, he sees that Seongwoo is at a loss on what to wear, and so he makes it his own duty to dress him up. He studies the clothes he has and puts together an outfit for Seongwoo. He pairs a v-neck shirt with ripped jeans and a light bomber and ushers for Seongwoo to go try it on.

 

He is in the middle of changing his clothes when Seongwoo appears at his door all dressed up. Even though he is used to changing in public places around attractive guys, he can't help but turn around in embarrassment when he sees how his eyes were focused on him. 

 

Daniel caught a quick glimpse at how Seongwoo looked and acknowledges that he could make anything look nice. Once again, he thinks that it's unfair that he is too handsome for his own good.

 

"You look great," Daniel cheerfully says as he pulls on a shirt.

 

Seongwoo lets out a small laugh and jokingly twirls around, "These clothes do fit me."

 

Daniel laughs as well and he makes a grab for his pants which he then puts on as fast as he could. He does a once-over in the mirror before he takes Seongwoo's wrist to tug him towards the front door.

 

"Jisung is going to come pick us up outside. You can always trust him to know the best clubs around."

 

"I'm still a bit unfamiliar with this clubbing thing, like what am I suppose to do?" Seongwoo confesses.

 

Daniel takes in his slightly anxious look and he tries his best to reassure him, "We're going to dance and maybe have some drinks. Don't worry, it'll be fun."

 

Ideally, that's what Daniel had in mind. But of course, an ideal is never always reality.

 

 

* * *

 

When Jisung picks them up and drives them to what he thinks is the best nightclub in Seoul, he expected Seongwoo to stay by his side. But the moment when they stepped into the club, Jisung takes Seongwoo away and he gives Daniel a teasing look.

 

Now Daniel is all by himself and he knows he is cursed by being awkward when he is all alone.

 

To hopefully look like he fits in, he makes his way to the bar and orders a drink that has a low alcoholic content. He doesn't need to get drunk and embarrass himself when his two friends aren't watching out for him.

 

As he sips his drink, he silently wishes that he could drink until his liver was on the verge of death because Seongwoo's face keeps showing up in his mind. He thinks about what kind of secrets he's harboring and the blankness that's been etched onto his face as of lately. He thinks about the forum post even though he keeps telling himself to forget about it.

 

Daniel knows now that he cares too much for Seongwoo and he doesn't know what to do about it.

 

When he's emptied his glass, he's slightly disorientated and decides that he needs some fresh air outside.

 

In the midst of taking in the nighttime breeze, he notices someone staring at him from the corner of his eye. Daniel turns and checks that he's not bad looking and he gives him a small grin. Once the guy sees that he has Daniel's attention, he waltzes over and strikes up a conversation.

 

"Hey, I think I saw you on campus before."

 

Daniel rests his back against the wall, "Really?"

 

The stranger takes it as his cue to move closer.

 

“Yeah, you’re a dance major aren't you? You’re in some of my classes.”

 

Daniel has no clue on who the guy is. “So you are a fellow dancer yourself.”

 

He chuckles and shifts forward even more. Daniel doesn't stop his advances because his mind is a mess and he can't exactly make great decisions at the moment.

 

“Yeah, but I'm not as good as you.” He takes Daniel's hand and tugs him towards the back. It's darker here and Daniel feels like their little chat is over as the guy comes so close that their lips are just about touching.  

 

Daniel closes his eyes and he lets the stranger kiss him.

 

But Daniel’s lips feel stiff and he doesn't have the feelings to properly reciprocate the kiss. 

 

The guy’s hands roam from his back, to his hair, and then to his waist. Normally, Daniel would jump on the chance to be touched like this from a hookup, but he feels uncomfortable and the guy probably thinks that he is a terrible kisser. 

 

They pull back to take a breath and Daniel assumes that the guy is going to ask him what's wrong but he just slams his lips back onto his. He tries to coax his mouth open but Daniel's not giving into the hint. He just wants this to be done and he feels regret for leading the guy on.

 

When the stranger pulls him into a tighter embrace, Daniel squirms and feels even more rigid in the guy’s arms.

 

He tries to send some kind of message to the guy that he wants him to stop but it gets to a point where Daniel has no choice but to use his strength to forcefully push the guy away. It was in that moment when their lips were finally apart that he hears a voice interrupt them.

 

“Daniel?”

 

Daniel nearly jumps out of the stranger's arms as he turns to see Seongwoo staring at them.

 

Seongwoo has a puzzled look on his face as he takes in his swollen lips and messed up hair.

 

Daniel quickly turns back to the guy, “Sorry, but it looks like my friend needs me.” He doesn't give the guy a chance to reply before he grabs Seongwoo and drags him back into the club. 

 

“Is everything alright? You never introduced me to the guy back there.” Seongwoo says. 

 

“He is nobody to me, but hey are you ready to go back? I'm kind of tired.”

 

“Oh sure, you know I actually had fun tonight!” Seongwoo beams brightly at him, “Who knew dancing with stranger's could be enjoyable?”

 

Daniel smiles and he feels glad that at least Seongwoo is in a better mood.

 

In the end, the whole purpose of the trip was for his friend. Daniel knows that he has no right to take that away from him, especially when it was his idea at the start.

 

It's just that he wishes he could erase the stranger's taste from his lips.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After getting back to their apartment, Daniel collapses on his couch out of exhaustion. 

 

He definitely has to take a shower soon but he is too tired at the moment. 

 

He didn't expect Seongwoo to say anything more about the nightclub, but then he did and Daniel is reminded of his poor decisions.

 

“That guy back there,”

 

Daniel internally groans.

 

He continues, “I didn't know you liked guys like that.”

 

Even though Seongwoo's presence saved him back there, Daniel wants to berate himself for having him witness a moment that wasn't his finest.

 

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll be careful about bringing guys home.” 

 

“Oh no, that's not what I meant. It's just that I remember that couples were different back then.”

 

Daniel quietly chuckles, “The times are changing, even if only by a little.”

 

“So it seems. Hey, I'm going to go take a shower unless you want to go first?”

 

Daniel snuggles into the couch, “No, you go first.”

 

Daniel has his eyes closed before he realizes that he is drifting off and is probably not going to make it to the bathroom at all.

 

 

* * *

 

Daniel wakes up at noon the next day to find a blanket that Seongwoo probably tucked him in as he fell asleep.

 

He is in the middle of yawning before he feels his phone vibrate in his back pocket.

 

He lets out a weak sigh as he pulls out his phone. He lazily scans the screen before he answers.

 

“Daniel!” he hears Jaehwan exclaim.

 

“Wh-”

 

“I can't believe I put my ass on the line for some stranger that you're obsessed with.”

 

Daniel is alert as he immediately sits up, “What did you find?”

 

“Well, it turns out that the authorities are trying to hide information about Ong Seongwoo.”

 

“Wait wh-” 

 

Jaehwan cuts him short again, “Just listen for a moment! I looked for his file but I didn't find one and I thought that he may have never been in the system cause he wasn't ever involved in a crime. But then, god forbid I snooped through the Chief's desk because I'm just too nice to you, I found a floppy disk with his name on it, dated back to the 1970s. I took the disk and quietly asked around as to why we had floppy disks. Apparently, when floppy disks came out, the station would always back up old case files onto the disks just to be safe. So, I am kind of intrigued at this point because I found something with that name. But you know what happened next?”

 

“What?” Daniel asks. He feels like he is on the edge of his seat, waiting for Jaehwan to drop something that was earth-shattering. 

 

“I put the disk into an old computer I had lying around and guess what showed up? Nothing! The disk was a blank. I had no idea why they decided to keep a blank disk around but I think they forgot to erase his name and use it for something else…”

 

Daniel stopped paying attention to what Jaehwan was saying halfway through because of the thoughts that crossed his mind. Jaehwan couldn't find any information on Seongwoo, but there were possible traces of him at the station. However, despite this, Daniels knows that if there's nothing on Seongwoo that's saved, the search ends up being useless.

 

He feels like there's not much he can do at this point unless he hacks some higher up government agency for secured information on the country's citizens. Sadly, he doesn't hack nor does he know anyone that does. 

 

“Well thanks for looking around,” Daniel tries to not sound too defeated.

 

“You owe me, Kang Daniel! Seriously, you don't know what I went through just to find absolutely nothing.”

 

“Yeah yeah, just call me when you need a favor.”

 

“You better not refu-”

 

“Yeah I know, see ya.” Daniel hangs up.

 

Daniel lies back down onto the couch and sighs loudly.

 

He contemplates on giving up on his little detective project, but then he thinks about how Seongwoo feels and he suddenly doesn't want to give up. Daniel also sadly acknowledges that Seongwoo has been keeping things from him, not like he has the right to know, but it's just that maybe Seongwoo knows more than what he could ever find himself.

 

Seongwoo is keeping parts of himself closed off and Daniel has to accept that even though he desperately wishes for Seongwoo to talk to him. Even if he only mentions a few words, Daniel thinks that it's more than enough to help him understand the guy better.

 

Daniel is doing everything he can to help. The amount of effort he is putting into this is kind of admirable, but he gets an odd feeling when he thinks about why he tries so hard. The odd feeling returns when he gets too close to Seongwoo or when he catches himself staring a bit too much.

 

Maybe Seongwoo means more to him than a friend. Maybe he doesn't and Daniel is just persistent on never giving up. 

 

Daniel isn't sure what his answer is, but he doesn't feel like he is in a rush to figure things out yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just went through my first week of uni and I'm already dead inside


	5. Chapter 5

Seongwoo has been going out more by himself ever since that night at the club. Daniel thinks that he has been getting the hang of living in a world that is technically the future for him. 

 

Seongwoo even gets a job at a nearby movie theater and Daniel figured out that he must have had one amazing interview because when he was helping Seongwoo with his resume, there really wasn't much that he could put down.

 

Daniel is happy for him, but he is also upset at the lack of time they spend together now.

 

The semester is starting again for Daniel and the distance between them keeps on growing. Due to them being apart more often, Daniel offers Seongwoo to pay for his cell phone but Daniel should have expected him to refuse. Ever since Seongwoo started working, Daniel saw a new side emerge from him. Seongwoo got himself his own phone and he also insisted that he helped pay rent.

 

Daniel doesn't want to sound like a weird pseudo parent, but Seongwoo truly was growing into someone more dependable. He is no longer the guy who Jisung said that he couldn’t live on his own.

 

When they both had the weekend off, Daniel figured that he should visit his grandmother again to keep up with appearances. When he brought this up to Seongwoo, Daniel was ecstatic to see that he jumped on the chance to go with him.

 

Daniel can't help but think that maybe Seongwoo misses their time together as well.

 

He is kind of a dreamer at heart.

 

 

* * *

 

At the retirement home, Daniel realizes that they never told his grandmother who Seongwoo was. 

 

When she suddenly calls out Jaehwan's name, Daniel is at a loss on how to explain to her that Seongwoo was not Jaehwan.

 

But when Daniel looks at Seongwoo, he shrugs and he leans in to whisper into his ear, "Let's just go with it."

 

This makes Daniel flush as he feels Seongwoo's breath tickle the side of his face in an intimate way. 

 

These sort of interactions were part of the subtle changes that happened after that night. The looks Seongwoo gives him when their alone makes Daniel shy away because it brings up feelings that overwhelm him. 

 

He tries not to think too much about them, he thinks that maybe it's him that's being too hyper aware of things. But he still feels the long stare Seongwoo gives him sometimes and he wonders what could be going through his mind.

 

Daniel doesn't say anything because if he was being truthful, he likes it when Seongwoo looks at him.

 

For the time that they spend together with his grandmother, Daniel oddly feels like a third wheel as he witnesses his grandmother and Seongwoo have the time of their life just chatting with one another.

 

Daniel silently sulks in mild jealousy as he watches Seongwoo charm the elderly without any difficulties. 

 

The guy seriously has no limits to his abilities sometimes.

 

Daniel stopped paying attention to their conversation for some time as he became more interested in picking at the loose thread on his sleeve. He is bored and he wants to leave, but the two people that he cares about are enjoying themselves so he sucks it up and endures it.  

 

When he was nearly on the verge of going crazy because of how bored he is, Daniel suddenly stands up to catch their gaze.

 

“Hey, why don't I get us something to drink? You want tea Grandma?”

 

His grandmother looks slightly surprised at his abruptness for a minute before she smiles warmly at him, “Yeah, I could have some tea right now.”

 

“I'll have some coffee please,” Seongwoo grins. 

 

“Okay, I'll be right back then.” Daniel leaves the room and heads downstairs to where the dining area was.

 

He is at the section where drinks are prepared when he hears a wheelchair approach him from behind. He thinks nothing of it until he feels someone tug on his shirt. 

 

Daniel figures it might be one of the residents looking for help and so he turns around and lowers himself until he is eye level with the man in the wheelchair. 

 

“Yes?” He asks,

 

The elderly man coughs and says in a quiet voice, “You are the boy who came with Ong Seongwoo.”

 

Daniel stills, “How do you know who Seongwoo is?” 

 

The man gestures for them to sit a table nearby. Once they've settled in, he continues in his quiet raspy voice, “The other day, I was at the front when you guys came in. I thought I've seen a ghost when Seongwoo passed by me. I didn't believe what I saw until you guys came again today. I thought about confronting him but I couldn't bring myself to. Giving up seemed like my only option but then I meet you here instead.” 

 

Daniel listens carefully to guy’s short ramble, “That doesn't explain how you recognized him.”

 

He looks down and Daniel feels terrible because the old man looks pitiful like this. 

 

“I knew Seongwoo from decades ago. When I was still young, I was his manager.”

 

Daniel can't help but lean closer as he feels the need to hear more of what the man has to say. 

 

“Seongwoo was a singer who wanted to be a successful star. I was just a broke guy who needed a job and so I jumped on the opportunity to be his manager when I saw his advertisements in the papers. 

 

Things were hard at the start because Seongwoo wasn't gaining popularity no matter how much we tried to get his name out there. I got him gigs at different places, but it wasn't enough. I thought about quitting when he was about to release what would be his last album as our production funds were going to put us into debt.”

 

The man’s voice gets rough the more he talks and he eventually pauses when he goes into a coughing fit. Daniel quickly goes to get him some water and returns to place a glass in front of the guy.  

 

He rasps out thanks and takes slow sips and clears his throat before he continues.

 

“But miraculously, the public started listening to the songs on that album. His songs were well received and people finally showed interest in his singing. He signed with a bigger company but kept me as his manager. It was good for awhile, Seongwoo was on a surge of massive popularity. His new life, however, was cut short when something terrible happened.”

 

Daniel is anxious, “What exactly happened?”

 

The man looks at him with sad eyes, “Seongwoo had a fan that I should've looked out for. She wasn't right mentally and she developed an unhealthy obsession for Seongwoo.”

 

A terrible feeling grows inside of Daniel.

 

“Seongwoo was backstage getting his hair and makeup done before his show started. It was supposed to start and end like all of his other shows, but it ended up being his last one.” The man shakes his head, “The fan, she somehow got access to the backstage area where she approached Seongwoo. I don't know what she said but she was angered when he didn't have the response that she wanted. 

 

I wasn't there when she revealed a knife, but the cameras caught her actions as she assaulted Seongwoo when he was unguarded. She eventually ran away after Seongwoo stopped moving and I was the one who walked in to find his dead body on the backstage vanity.”

 

Daniel feels cold and ill at the same time. “Vanity? Do you remember what it looked like or where it came from?”

 

“I don’t have a clear image in my mind, but it had a large mirror and I remembered that it was donated by one of the stage crew members. I don’t know where it is now because they tossed it out after they cleaned it up.”

 

Daniel considers the possibility that the old man is lying. He thinks that there might be some truth to what the guy is saying, but Daniel was told that some of the residents suffer from dementia. It does surprise him however that he was able to recognize who Seongwoo is.

 

Almost as if he could read his thoughts, the elderly man sighs. “I have no idea how he could still be alive. I also have no proof to show how truthful my story is, but my name is Lee Woojin and he might still remember that name.”

 

Daniel commits that name to memory and tells himself to ask Seongwoo about it later. In the meantime, he still needs a few things to get a fully detailed story.

 

“Do you remember what that fan’s name was? How did you find out about the security tape? There were other rumors that claimed that Seongwoo committed suicide.”

 

“Her name was never revealed because her family paid to keep the whole case hidden from the public. The security got a hold of the tape before he was forced to give it to the police who received millions of won from the girl’s family. But that didn't stop how rumors spread. Even though I didn't watch the murder happen, I saw the condition Seongwoo’s body was in. The weapon wasn't at the scene and it was impossible for him to inflict those particular wounds on himself.” 

 

Daniel frowns, “Her family must have been one of the wealthiest in the country if they could keep everything hidden like that.”

 

The man finishes his glass of water, “Well they own a lot of corporations. They are the Han’s, you might have heard of them before.”

 

“Wait Ha-”

 

“There you are!”

 

Daniel nearly felt his heart stopped as he turned to the sudden noise.

 

He sees Seongwoo as he approaches them with a concerned look on his face. 

 

“You were gone for so long that we got worried.”

 

Daniel rubs his arm sheepishly, “Oh sorry, I was just... helping the guy here.” He gestures at Woojin before standing up. 

 

Seongwoo looks at Woojin whose eyes were slightly widened. 

 

Daniel squints at Seongwoo to catch anything like recognition flit across his face  —  it never did. He didn't know what he was expecting anyways.

 

“You know, we were just finishing up. I'll get back to you guys soon.” Daniel speaks up.

 

“I told your grandma that we were leaving soon. I’ll just go up to say goodbye first and wait for you outside.” Seongwoo walks away. 

 

When Seongwoo is gone, Woojin is the first to say something. “He always had that higher pitch that gave him a unique voice color.”

 

“Seongwoo does have a nice singing voice,” Daniel adds.

 

Woojin turns to fully look at him. He surprises Daniel by giving him a soft smile.

 

“Thank you for hearing me out. You may think that I am saying things that are false or untrue, but I've been keeping this inside for all of my life as there was no one who would believe me. I think that I'm able to finally find a proper goodbye to Seongwoo after seeing him again with a well expression.”

 

Daniel remembers what he was trying to say, “Wait, about the Hans! Where can I find them? And is their daughter still alive?” 

 

“They have a lot of business headquarters in Seoul, but I don’t think you would get anywhere by talking to them.  If you are wondering about the daughter's whereabouts, I apologize but she is kept away from the public's eye view.”

 

Daniel frowns again but he quickly bows and expresses gratitude to the guy for his time and bids him a farewell. He hurriedly goes to prepare the tea that he was to suppose to bring to his grandmother's room. When he gets back there, he apologizes for disappearing and prepares to be scolded but is surprised to see his grandmother look at him warmly.

 

“Niel-ah, I understand why you randomly left. Being around Jaehwan makes your heart flutter and nervous right?”

 

He blinks, “What?”

 

She laughs, “I can see that you have a crush on him. It's plain as day for anybody to notice.”

 

Daniel feels embarrassed and when he is embarrassed, he blushes no matter what. 

 

He lets out an awkward laugh, “Oh, uh it's not like that. I mean, I care about Seo- Jaehwan, but…”

 

“Niel-ah, Jaehwan might be good for you. He certainly has my approval.” She laughs again.

 

Nothing Daniel says could convince her that he is not crushing after Seongwoo so he decides to not even try.

 

He places the tea on her table, “Well, Jaehwan is waiting for me outside so I'll see you later grandma.”

 

He slowly backs away and waves goodbye.

 

“Goodbye! The next time I see you, you guys better be dating!”

 

Daniel blushes even more as he hurries away. He wills himself to forget about his grandmother's words as he tries to recollect everything that the man has told him today. 

 

He remembers every last detail, and when he meets up with Seongwoo outside, he blurts out what he is dying to know,

 

“Do you know a Lee Woojin?”

 

Seongwoo looks taken aback for a moment, “We should talk in the car.” 

 

Daniel feels anxious as they walk back to his car. Seongwoo didn't flat out tell him that no, he doesn't know a Lee Woojin, and that causes Daniel’s mind to do the thing where he thinks of all these possibilities as to why that is his answer.

 

When they are both inside and settled in, Seongwoo takes a deep breath before he looks at Daniel with a steady gaze. 

 

“I want to apologize for keeping things from you. I know you were worried about me when I was starting to remember who I was. I didn't want to tell you what was happening because I felt as though that it would confirm that it was the truth.”

 

Daniel furrows his brow as he thinks for a moment, “Are you talking about your dreams?”

 

“Yes. They kept coming up and they were all connected to one another.” 

 

“Is Lee Woojin related to this?”

 

Seongwoo blinks, “Yes, I remember a Lee Woojin because of those dreams. He helped manage my old schedules.”

 

Daniel freezes as he gets the confirmation that Woojin have been telling him the truth.

 

It took courage for Daniel to ask about the most gruesome part of Woojin’s story, “Seongwoo, did someone kill you?”

 

Seongwoo doesn’t hesitate when he answers, “It made sense that I would've been killed by someone.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I get this thought where I'm hurt by a person. But it's never clear and I'm not sure what exactly happens. I just remember the person yelling and feeling pain.”

 

Daniel looks away and makes the decision to tell Seongwoo about what he learned from Woojin. When he starts off by revealing that the guy back there was Lee Woojin himself, Seongwoo has a stunned look on his face. 

 

When he doesn't say anything, Daniel clears his throat, “Do you want to go back to talk to him?” 

 

The silence stretches on before he replies, “No. He was a part of my old life and I don’t want to get caught in those past memories. Besides, I don't know what I would say if I saw him again. I just hope that he had moved on and lived a nice life after what happened.”

 

“He has,” Daniel mentions briefly. 

 

The shock on Seongwoo’s face from earlier was replaced with a peaceful look. The corners of his lips even twitch up a little.

 

“Thank you for talking to him. I thought that you have given up on finding out who I was, but you were still looking this entire time. You helped me confirm what happened in my past, and I don’t know how I feel about the truth but I’ll figure it out.”

 

Daniel thinks that Seongwoo and he are ready to move past of all of this and live on with their lives. He wants to forget about what he tried so hard to uncover. After so many months, he wants to continue on feeling the calmness that he had missed.

 

When he gently takes Seongwoo’s hand and holds it properly, Daniel doesn't regret it at all. 

 

Especially when Seongwoo squeezes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting revealed one by one now 8D Idk why I made it so that Woojin is like the oldest of them all when he is the maknae of broduce lmao 
> 
> Anyways, a new chapter will come out every Saturday! Again, I apologize for any mistakes. I try to re-read my work at least twice but I'm a terrible proofreader :')


	6. Chapter 6

Daniel was ready to let go of Seongwoo's past. It's just that he had something to do first.

 

The story can’t end without some form of justice for his friend.

 

He did some research into the Han family and figured out a few things: they were so big that they had connections to the music industry and that they had business headquarters in just about every major city in the country. Lucky for Daniel, there was one near downtown. 

 

Seongwoo had an inkling of suspicion of what Daniel was planning and he tried to get him to stop. Even though everything he is doing is for Seongwoo, he knows that he should listen to what the guy has to say. But Daniel also knows that he should do the right thing and he is ultimately ruled by that.

 

It's when Seongwoo is at work that Daniel ditches his classes to drive to the headquarters instead.

 

He doesn't have a foolproof plan, he is aware that his plan has a low  — if any at all —  success rate. It might be fruitless, but Daniel has to at least try.

 

He was going to waltz into the building and demand to talk to somebody who was related to the founding family that buried a terrible secret. It's probably the most ridiculous thing that Daniel has ever done in his life, but he'll shoulder it on with fake confidence.

 

Normally, Daniel is all smiles, but today he puts on the coldest look he could muster. When he gets to the lady at the front desk, in his most intimidating and sternest voice, he says, "I need to talk to one of the members of the Han family."

 

She looks at him weirdly, "Han Joon only takes appointments from specific people. If you must talk to him, you'll have to get a hold of his assistant."

 

He expected this. 

 

"Then let me talk to his assistant."

 

"Well, his assistant is busy at the moment. I'll leave her a message that you came. I'm not sure when she'll able to get to it, however."

 

"Tell her to tell Han Joon that I know about Ong Seongwoo."

 

"Ong Seongwoo?" Someone else says. 

 

Daniel sees a middle-aged man staring at him in shock.

 

"Yes, Seongwoo is my friend and I know what the Han family did to him," Daniel says boldly.

 

"Tell Joon that I'm going bring this guy up with me." The man says to the lady before turning to him, "You better not be lying kid."

 

The lady frowns but follows up on his orders. The man gestures for Daniel to follow him towards the elevator. The ride to the top floor was tense and quiet but Daniel is feeling like his mission is not doomed for failure. However, he is still wary of the things to come.

 

When they get off, he takes Daniel to an office around the corner and knocks on a door that has the name plaque 'CEO Han Joon'. 

 

Daniel was about to talk to a CEO and it was incredibly nerve-wracking for him. He was going to go in there with serious accusations and the outcome of it all was unfathomable.

 

"Come in." A man's voice calls out.

 

The guy looks at Daniel with a hard look in his eyes before he opens the door.

 

Daniel is greeted with a guy who looked similar in age with the one beside him. He offers Daniel to sit down and tells the guy to leave.

 

Daniel takes a deep breath and braces himself for what is about to come.

 

"You look a little bit too young to be Seongwoo's friend."

 

Daniel summons back his stern voice. "The Seongwoo you once knew is gone. But I was able to figure out the truth to what happened to him and what your family did to cover it up.”

 

To his surprise, the guy lets out a sigh that sounds like he’s almost broken.

 

"My parents did everything they could to wipe the case out from existence. Outside of our family, the only other person who was supposed to know was the guy you just met out there. He's a close family friend that was around when the murder happened."

 

Daniel can start to feel the tinges of anger rise as he feels more irritated, "Why did you let it all happen? How could you just sit back and watch your family make a guy disappear?"

 

"I don't know what your connection is to Seongwoo, but I hope you can somehow see that if I went against my parents, I would've been disowned and be left with nothing. I was selfish even when I knew my sister did a terrible thing."

 

"Your sister is a murderer who should've been jailed."

 

Joon looks defeated with his downcasted expression, "I know. It was also my fault that she became so deranged. I remember when her obsession for him started to grow. She told me that she would follow him around and try to talk to him. I just called her stalker and let her be. I didn’t care enough at the time.

 

What she did next was the result of my lack of responsibility. And I felt guilty even though I only aided in the problem. When my parents paid the police to end their investigation, they handed over the case file and they kept it locked up all the time. They also tried to pay Seongwoo's family but they refused to take the bribe. My parents eventually had to threaten them to keep them quiet. For years, these ill feelings continued to grow and I couldn't look at my sister anymore. When she committed suicide a few years after the murder, I didn't even bat an eye. When my parents died of old age even later, I didn't even attend their funeral. The only thing that weighed heavily on my mind was how the case file is now in my hands."

 

Daniel stiffens, "What did you do with the case file?"

 

"I thought of all the possibilities that I could do with it. I contemplated going public with it but I only saw the inevitable fall of the family's business as a result. I didn't learn from my mistakes and I was being selfish again."

 

Daniel suddenly stands up and glares at Joon, "How could you follow in your parent's footsteps after all of this? Have you ever thought about how Seongwoo's family must have felt?"

 

“I don’t know how I could be so terrible myself. I think about his family and how I’m just like my own parents.”

 

Joon’s outwardly shown sadness does nothing to change Daniel’s low opinion of him. He has to force on a more neutral tone when asks about what the family did with the corpse. Daniel was still puzzled about the connection to all of this with the vanity.

 

“His family cremated his body. I don’t know what they did with the ashes but I think they kept them.”

 

Daniel questions again how Seongwoo is alive when his ashes still exist. He is about to ask Joon about what he knows about the vanity when he sees the guy do something.

 

Joon doesn't say anything as he goes through a drawer on his desk. What he pulls out next causes an unsettling feeling in Daniel’s stomach.

 

He places a police file with Seongwoo's name on it in front of him.

 

"I'm a coward and I will die a coward. But I'll give this to you and let you do what I failed to."

 

Daniel reluctantly reaches out to grab the file. He searches through the contents and is appalled once he catches a glimpse of the murder scene photos.

 

"What will you do when this gets taken to court?"

 

Joon smiles sadly, "I'll get whatever I deserve coming for me."

 

 

* * *

 

When Daniel opens his front door, he is greeted with Seongwoo sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him. 

 

He gets an idea of what's to come.

 

“So you weren't at school today.”

 

Daniel probably has the guiltiest expression ever on his face. He remembers that Jisung told him that he looks like a scolded puppy with it. “How did you find out?”

 

Seongwoo gives him a look, “I got off work early so I thought I would meet up with you on campus. But it turns out, I had to hear from your classmates that you didn't even show up today.”

 

“Sorry for not telling you where I was going today.” Daniel apologizes and he hopes he sounds sincere because he truly does feel bad. 

 

“You didn't even bring your phone with you, Daniel! I was worried that something might have happened.” 

 

“It's okay, I didn't go anywhere dangerous.”

 

Seongwoo tilts his head, “Where did you even go?”

 

“Well,” he reveals the file that he was holding and he places it on the table. “This is your case file from the incident.”

 

Daniel jumps back when Seongwoo springs up from his seat,

 

“I thought we agreed that we were moving on!”

 

Seongwoo looks betrayed and Daniel can't seem to understand why, “Don't you think that a proper end to it all is to reveal the truth to others? You were practically erased from existence!”

 

“No, I don't care about that anymore.”

 

“What? Seongwoo, you were a victim of that family! They have to go to jail or something!”

 

Seongwoo looks like he was about to say something before he stops himself.

 

“Why is it like this...” Seongwoo whispers so softly that Daniel has to lean in to understand.

 

He looks at Daniel with a crestfallen expression and it breaks his heart.

 

“I appreciate that you do all of this for me,” he says. “But once my story is set straight to the world, the possible outcomes scare me. I think about it a lot, how I am a part of this world and how I can disappear again without knowing why. Doesn’t it feel like it’s possible that once the truth gets out, my purpose here is fulfilled? I don’t want to leave Daniel.”

 

Daniel remembers about the whole anomaly that he has yet to figure out. When he was too caught up in his findings, he let a crucial fact slip away. It doesn’t make sense how there can be two of the same Seongwoo’s, but the one that he knows is just so real that Daniel eventually learned to forget how they even met.

 

Seongwoo’s intuitions are mostly true so the chances of him being right that he would disappear when his time in this world is “done” is high. 

 

Seongwoo’s possible departure puts a terrible feeling inside of Daniel. 

 

“I don't want you to leave. I don't know what's the terms and conditions of you being here, but I'll miss you too much when you're gone.”

 

When Daniel looks away to get himself together, Seongwoo closes the distance between them and embraces him tightly. 

 

“Let’s stay together then.”

 

 

* * *

 

That night, Daniel tosses and turns but he couldn't fall asleep. 

 

He forces his eyes shut and he tries counting to big numbers but they were all futile attempts. 

 

He thinks about the file that was now on his desk. He skimmed through the things that didn’t have pictures but he learned nothing new. He didn't have it in him to look through the file properly because of the photos he saw. They were just too terrible to look at.

 

He also thinks about how it was possible for him to meet Seongwoo when he was living in another time. He has all these questions that neither of them can figure out.

 

Daniel lies there on his bed for some time before he decides to get up and do something else. 

 

He heads to the kitchen to get a glass of water before he settles on the couch and turns on the television, making sure the volume was near zero. 

 

He browses through the movie selection on Netflix and ends up picking a random one, hoping it will bore him to sleep.

 

The movie is about a couple minutes in before he hears Seongwoo leave his room.

 

“I guess you can't sleep either.” 

 

“Join me and maybe this movie might make us fall asleep.”

 

Seongwoo let's out a light chuckle, “Alright.”

 

He sits flush next to Daniel and places an arm around him. 

 

“This movie seems interesting.” 

 

“Hmm it does,” Daniel says lazily.

 

Daniel watches about half of the movie before he finds it more enjoyable to discreetly stare at Seongwoo instead.

 

He admires the angles in his side profile and he thinks right there and then that his grandmother was right  — he was falling for Seongwoo . Daniel doesn’t think he can be this content when he looks at anyone else. His eyes go from the three moles on Seongwoo’s cheeks and then to the images from the television screen that reflected onto Seongwoo’s eyes. He thinks it’s the most captivating thing that he’s ever seen.

 

When Daniel yawns, he figures that he is just about to fall asleep.With a desire to be even closer to Seongwoo, he lets his head fall onto his lap.

 

He thinks he mutters out a good night before he passes out.

 

He also thinks that Seongwoo strokes his hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is almost coming to an end! ch 7 will be posted next week and ch 8, 9, & 10 will be posted the week after that. Ch 10 is not really a chapter but the finale (ch8+9) will be the longest 8D
> 
> Thank you so much for your kudos and comments!! They always make me so happy ^o^


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of Daniel's semester goes well.

 

He and Seongwoo have let some kind of routine take form in their lives.

 

They both wake up and Daniel heads off to school while Seongwoo works. Sometimes Seongwoo gets night shifts but it's often on those nights that Daniel stays up working on routines and other stuff for his major. He rarely falls asleep unless he knows that Seongwoo is home. It's not like he can unless he was overwhelmingly tired that day, but Daniel feels relaxed when Seongwoo’s a name call away.

 

Their lives are busy, but they fill in the gaps with each other's presence. 

 

When the first day of spring break finally hits, Daniel spends his entire morning in bed before he forces himself to get up at around noon. 

 

He's in the middle of dragging himself to the bathroom when an aroma wafts from the kitchen.

 

As he is curious, he makes his way to the source of the smell and is pleasantly surprised to see Seongwoo cooking. 

 

"Are you actually cooking?" he says teasingly.

 

Seongwoo turns around from the stove and grins, "I wanted to cook something since you're the one that always preparing meals."

 

"Well, it smells great actually. I can't wait to try it." Daniel says with a toothy smile. 

 

He sits down as he watches Seongwoo finish up. When Seongwoo brings him over a bowl, Daniel widens his eyes.

 

"Kimchi jjigae?"

 

Seongwoo looks bashful, "I remember how good it tasted when you first cooked it for me."

 

"I- Seongwoo! You can't keep making my heart flutter like this." Daniel jokingly whines as he clutches his chest.

 

He laughs before he suggestively wriggles his brow, "It was my plan all along to charm you into my becoming my lover."

 

Daniel smirks and plays along, "It seems as though you're almost there."

 

They enjoy the afternoon together eating the jjigae that Seongwoo made. 

 

Daniel was so touched by the fact that Seongwoo cooked for him that he was probably biased when he says that it was the most delicious thing that he had in awhile.

 

When he gets up to start the dishes, he hears Seongwoo pipe up, "I got my supervisor to let me take the week off. I thought that we could go somewhere you know? Have a little vacation to ourselves."

 

Daniel beams, "That sounds great. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

 

"What about Jeju? I want to see the sea."

 

Daniel grabs Seongwoo's hands,

 

"Let's go to Jeju then."

 

 

* * *

 

They prepare for their trip to the island and planned to stay for a couple days there. 

 

Daniel maps out all the places that they have to see and makes sure to pack into their schedule a lot of the different beaches that the island has to offer.

 

The trip to the airport was one filled with excitement. Seongwoo constantly showering Daniel with his enthusiastic attitude and Daniel thinks that this is the greatest that he has felt in a while.

 

When they get off their flight, it's was already late so they went ahead to their accommodations. Daniel decides that he would unpack his suitcase later as he throws himself onto the couch. It's only a few seconds later when he feels Seongwoo's weight on top of him.

 

"This seriously can't be comfortable to you." Daniel muffles out as he tries to push the guy off.

 

"But it is though," he hears him whine as he is forcibly tossed to the side.

 

"Yeah right," Daniel playfully rolls his eyes as he looks at him.

 

Seongwoo pouts as he crawls closer. He doesn't stop until he is about a touch away from Daniel.

 

It didn't occur to him that Seongwoo was trying to initiate something, and it isn't until he feels like he was being stared at does Daniel realize that something was going to happen.

 

"You know, I wanted us to go on this trip as something more." Seongwoo eventually says.

 

Daniel raises an eyebrow in confusion, "Something more?"

 

Seongwoo leans forward until he has nearly closed the small distance between them. Never once does he takes his eyes off of Daniel.

 

"I want us to be more than good friends. I want to be even closer to you."

 

Daniel knew for some time now that he reciprocates Seongwoo's desires. Though he couldn't find it in him to make any moves because he was generally satisfied with the platonic but close relationship that they had. It was also fact that taking the first step towards something that could jeopardize the best thing that he has terrifies him to no end.

 

As he sees now that Seongwoo is the one who is bold enough to do anything, Daniel happily falls into his hold.

 

“What if I wanted the same thing?”

 

Daniel has his lips as close as he can without them touching Seongwoo’s. He waits until it's Seongwoo who brings them together in a quick movement.

 

He kisses back hard as he feels Seongwoo holds his face in his hands. He runs his fingers through Seongwoo’s hair and presses himself against his chest. 

 

Daniel doesn't want to pull back, but he knew that he needed air. When he moves back a little, he takes in quiet slow breaths. He sees how Seongwoo’s cheeks are flushed and wants to dive in for another kiss.

 

They continue to stare at each other before Seongwoo says something.

 

“I was jealous of the guy you were with that night at the club.” Seongwoo quietly whispers against his mouth. 

 

Daniel remembers how terrible the night was for him and almost groans in regret, “He is nothing to me. I honestly wished that I never did anything with him.”

 

Seongwoo smiles before he kisses him again. 

 

They spend a good portion of the night holding each other and kissing until Daniel is satisfied with how swollen their lips were.

 

They didn't go any farther than a few long kisses, but Daniel couldn't be bothered because he was still the happiest that he had ever been.

 

The kisses they shared poured out months of hidden feelings and Daniel was ready for their relationship to develop into something more intimate. 

 

Having the title of Seongwoo’s boyfriend sounded like a perfect fit for him. 

 

 

* * *

 

After last night, they officially agree to take that step into becoming something more. Their Jeju trip became akin to a romantic getaway now that they were a couple. 

 

From watching Seongwoo gaze at the sunset at Hyeopjae beach with a childlike wonder in his eyes to witnessing him hike at Hallasan with a fighting spirit, Daniel thinks he falls just a little bit more in love with him. 

 

They sneak in kisses every so often even though Daniel is prepared to flaunt to the world how much Seongwoo means to him.

 

When they were at the canola fields, Daniel strayed away to channel his inner photographer to take what he thought were decent pictures on his phone. It was when he turns around to look for Seongwoo that he becomes mesmerized by a sight that he wants to imprint into his mind forever.

 

He sees Seongwoo gazing at the canola flowers and Daniel is entranced by how he was illuminated by fields of never-ending yellow.

 

By impulse, he raised his phone camera and took a shot while Seongwoo was still distracted.

 

When he lowers his phone, he sees Seongwoo look up at him and wave.

 

Daniel is caught between looking at the picture he took and his boyfriend. He thought it was the nicest photo he took yet, but he thinks that maybe it’s because it was Seongwoo that was in the spotlight. 

 

As Daniel looks back up at Seongwoo, he sees that he was walking towards him.

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

He suddenly feels shy that he took a picture without Seongwoo knowing. But he loves it so much that he ends up showing Seongwoo.

 

“You.”

 

Seongwoo stares at the photo presented and he immediately smiles and latches onto Daniel’s arm. Caught off balance, Daniel wobbles for a bit before he stabilizes himself and laughs.

 

“It turned out nice right?”

 

“You made me look even better than usual.” Seongwoo grins.

 

Daniel laughs again and presses a light kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek.

 

With the breathtaking views that Jeju has to offer and to experience them with the one person who has become his everything, Daniel thinks he can die in peace.

  
  


* * *

 

It was on their last day when they decided to wander aimlessly around with no particular place as their final destination. 

 

Daniel has his head on Seongwoo’s shoulder before he hears him say something. 

 

“Hey, can we take a detour somewhere?”

 

Daniel nods, “Lead the way captain.”

 

He didn't know where Seongwoo would take them. They walked towards the residential areas and passed by countless vacation homes before they stopped at just one.

 

Daniel gazes into the house and sees an elderly couple sitting together, eating a meal in such peace and calmness that it radiates to the outside world. 

 

“They are my parents.” Seongwoo says quietly.

 

Daniel gapes at his boyfriend.

 

“I remembered that this was their dream vacation home. It was me who picked it out when I was a kid.” Seongwoo continues on in a barely audible voice.

 

“I never expected this memory to come back to me, but it's almost like a gift that it did.” 

 

Daniel is at a loss for words and finds that he could only look on at the picturesque scene of a beautiful house completed with a couple who still learned to love even when they were met with a cruel tragedy. 

 

He doesn't want to think about it when he starts to feel flashbacks come up. 

 

They were over that, Daniel now desperately wanted for them to leave the old Seongwoo behind.

 

When he holds onto the Seongwoo he knows now, he wills away the growing ill-feeling and chooses to smile at the fact that Seongwoo is his and he is Seongwoo’s. 

 

They were together now and Daniel would throw himself into a pit of disaster if his life was reverted back to when he didn’t know Seongwoo.

 

Even though they were still in their newly couple honeymoon phase, Daniel had always considered himself too devoted and too loyal to give up on anything or anyone.

 

Perhaps it would lead to his downfall, but Daniel wants the world and more with Seongwoo. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapters will be up next week, which means it will be the last updates for this story! This chapter is pretty short but the ending will the longest update yet :>
> 
> Once again, your kudos and comment always keep me going ;w;


	8. Chapter 8

Daniel wishes that he could love Seongwoo in peace.

 

But it turns out that the universe doesn't work that way.

 

He's packing up to head to his next class when he sees Jisung appear in front of him.

 

"Niel, we don't hang out as much anymore." He says sadly.

 

"Sorry hyung, I've just been a bit too busy with things."

 

Jisung latches onto his arm when Daniel motions that he was going to leave, "But we didn't even get to do anything together during spring break! And we always do something!"

 

"I would've invited you on our trip to Jeju, but Seongwoo just wanted it to be between just us." Daniel gives him an apologetic look.

 

Jisung frowns, "You have gotten really close to Seongwoo."

 

"Well, we have been living together for almost a year now. It's kind of hard not to get close to him given those circumstances." He shrugs.

 

Jisung seems to be lost in his thoughts before he says, "I think you might be a little bit too close to Seongwoo."

 

Now it's Daniel who frowns.

 

"Why do you say that? I care about Seongwoo you know."

 

Jisung has on a worried look that would normally make Daniel feel bad. Now, it just seems to make him angry.

 

"Daniel, you're not dating Seongwoo are you?"

 

"And what if I am?" Daniel bites out.

 

Jisung widens his eyes.

 

"You have to realize that Seongwoo might not technically be one of us."

 

"Seongwoo's perfectly human."

 

"We don't even know where he came from."

 

Daniel huffs out a laugh, "Well that's rich coming from you. You were the one who told me to let him live in my house and now you act concern about it. I know Seongwoo and he is harmless."

 

"He wouldn't deliberately hurt you, but I don't think that it's right for you to get attached to him."

 

Daniel rips his arm away from Jisung's hold and glares at the man. He has never gotten mad at the elder before, but he was getting on his nerves. Daniel had to admit that his rising anger surprised himself. He didn’t know exactly why he was angry but Jisung’s interference causes familiar ill feelings to arise. Daniel thinks that if he masks it with anger, they would go away.

"Well, I think I'm done listening. Don't even bother coming after me." Daniel briskly walks away.

 

He's going to feel bad about how he treated Jisung later on, but he just couldn't help how irritated his words made him feel. 

 

Even if it was for the right reasons, Daniel just didn't want to listen to him. Jisung always knew what was best and Daniel wouldn't question him as he followed after his elder.

 

It's just that this time, Daniel had another person who means a lot to him.

 

And he wasn't going to break things off just to make his friend happy.

 

 

* * *

 

When he gets home after his last class, Daniel goes to his room but stops mid-step when he spots the file that was collecting dust on his desk.

 

The sight of it displeased him and he grabbed it in one swift move and contemplated on what to do with it. 

 

He honestly felt like throwing it away but he thought about Seongwoo and kept it because it was his file. He never told Daniel what he wanted to do with it, and Daniel believed that it would be more respectful if he didn't just toss it.

 

Maybe it is wrong, but Daniel felt compelled to keep it away from Seongwoo forever. He thinks about the gruesome pictures that were in the file and believes that they would do more harm than good if his boyfriend saw them.

 

He ends up shoving the file into one of the desk drawers.

 

Daniel tells himself to forget about it because it was going to drive him crazy if its presence was constantly on his mind.

 

 

* * *

 

Later that day, Seongwoo comes home and they eat dinner together in comfortable silence.

 

They ended up lying together on the couch after and started to talk about random things.

 

What started off as a lighthearted conversation turned into a more serious one when Daniel nonchalantly asked if Seongwoo still gets those dreams about his past.

 

Seongwoo noticeably stiffens and Daniel looks at him worriedly. 

 

"Sorry, I-"

 

"No, you have nothing to apologize for." Seongwoo smiles reassuringly at him. 

 

He continues, "I don't really dream of anything anymore when I fall asleep. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

 

"Maybe you just don't remember it when you wake up." Daniel offers.

 

"Yeah, maybe."

 

Daniel changes the topic and they continue to talk for some time before he feels like nodding off in Seongwoo's arms.

 

He closes his eyes and is still for a moment before he hears Seongwoo hum out an unfamiliar but pleasant tune.

 

When feels Seongwoo press a light kiss on his head, he slumbers into a peaceful sleep.

 

Seongwoo's warmth stayed with him, even when he left the next morning.

 

 

* * *

 

Daniel doesn't know what he's doing wrong. He thinks he went out of place somewhere but he couldn't recall exactly where.

 

Seongwoo seems to be a bit more distant from him even though Daniel always asks if there was something bothering him. 

 

His boyfriend's answer of "Nothing, I'm just tired" only adds to the list of all of his growing concerns. He has a feeling that he was lying and it hurts him to know that.

 

All Daniel wants is for them to be open with each other, but he thinks now that it might be too much to ask for.

 

 

* * *

 

It was on a day when his classes finished early that Daniel gets a call from Seongwoo's manager.

 

She tells him that Seongwoo hasn't been at work for the past few days and asks if Daniel knew where he was.

 

Daniel's heart drops and tries not to sound too upset when he replies that he doesn't know either.

 

He decides that they were going to have a talk tonight no matter how much resistance Seongwoo puts up.

 

As he waits for Seongwoo to get home, he decides to do some cleaning around the house.

 

Daniel thought that he was just going to vacuum the floors and wipe the counters, but it ended up becoming a thorough cleaning session as he ended up tidying up whatever he could in each room.

 

When he gets to his room, he looks at his desk and remembers the other day and pointedly ignores touching the desk as a whole.

 

It took him hours, but he felt like his apartment was almost brand new when he was done.

 

It made him feel a little less anxious as he felt as though he had held onto some control in his life.

 

Daniel was in the middle of putting his cleaning supplies away when he gets a call from the person he was so desperate to talk to.

 

In record time, he picks up.

 

"We need to talk."

 

Seongwoo is quiet on the other line before he speaks up,

 

"Yes, we do." 

 

"When are you going to come home?" Daniel asks.

 

"I am not coming home."

 

Daniel freezes.

 

"I'm at your grandmother's house. Can you please come here?" Seongwoo says in a low voice.

 

"I'm on my way." Daniel breathes out.

 

When he hangs up, the bad feeling that Daniel gets makes him run out of his apartment and to his car. He ends up speeding to his grandmother's house but it still took him longer than he wanted to get there.

 

After he half haphazardly parked his car in front of the place, he sprints to the front door and repeatedly knocks on it. The lack of answer only makes his feeling worse and so he searches for the spare key and lets himself in.

 

"Seongwoo!" He calls out as he scans the living room. Daniel is thrown off when he feels as though something was missing. 

 

Daniel moves quickly around the house but he learns that no one is there.

 

He thinks he is going to do something drastic before he hears Seongwoo call out from the backyard.

 

Daniel runs out through the back door and is greeted with a scene that ignites all of his worries.

 

When he gets out into the backyard, he thinks he smells gasoline but he couldn't be sure. He also sees Seongwoo standing on the concrete near the vanity with a familiar file in his hands.

 

"What's going on Seongwoo?" Daniel manages to speak out when he feels his throat tighten. He closely examines the scene in front of him and he is shocked that Seongwoo took the file without him knowing.

 

Seongwoo looks away.

 

"You are more than what I ever deserve. I lie and I never tell you everything. I feel like I've been a curse placed on you when you are the kindest person in the world."

 

Daniel tries to get closer but stops when he sees Seongwoo reject his advances. 

 

Daniel is in disbelief, "How can you be a curse to me? Even if I am upset that you don't talk to me, you are still my happiness when we are together,” He feels like he is begging, “We can work on this.”

 

Seongwoo squeezes his eyes shut, "It's not something we can fix, Daniel." 

 

"What are you talking about? If we both work together, we can be happy."

 

"I want to be happy with you Daniel, and I was happy when we were together. It's just that, even though I remember who I was, there's always something that won't leave me alone. I keep hearing it in my head, maybe it's my conscious but it's keeps telling me that I don't belong even when I try so hard. I feel like I am past my stay in this world."

 

"I thought you said that you can stay as long as the truth is kept a secret."

 

"Daniel," Seongwoo says his name in a pained voice, "My place in this world is not here. I was alive decades ago before I was killed. It was by some unnatural force that my soul was sealed in the very thing that I died on. And I know now that my truth is not my passage away from here." Seongwoo turns to the vanity behind him, "It's this, it's always been this."

 

Daniel clenches his fists, "I can't understand you! You say that you want to be with me but now you talk as if you want to dive right back into the mirror."

 

"I want to be with you so bad. It's the one thing that I wish for the most." Seongwoo says it so sincerely that Daniel feels the pangs of hurt replace his anger.

 

"Then let's go home together. We'll forget about it all again."

 

"I can't forget about it, Daniel. When I saw my parents, I saw how people moved on and I felt as though everything is where it should be except for me."

 

Daniel should know by now that Seongwoo had already made his mind up. His words were all futile attempts.

 

But he was in distress and it made him grasp at the straws.

 

"Please don't leave." He begs as his eyesight blurs for a moment. 

 

"It's not right for me to stay here. No matter how much I change as a person, I'm still the Ong Seongwoo who died years ago."

 

Daniel wants to cry out that he is not but is silenced when he feels Seongwoo embrace him lightly. "You gave me another life and you let me fall in love with you. I couldn't be luckier to have had you." Seongwoo murmurs into his hair.

 

Daniel takes in his familiar scent and his throat continues to clench unforgivingly. He thinks he is going to suffocate when he remembers that it's the last time they’ll ever touch again.

 

He doesn't know how long he stays in Seongwoo's arms before he gently pulls away. He feels Seongwoo put the file in his hands.

 

"Give this to Jaehwan and ask him to return it to the police station."

 

He feels the tears as he watches Seongwoo pull out a match.

 

He gives Daniel one last smile as a final farewell before he tosses it onto the old vanity that catches on fire in a split second.

 

Daniel's vision waivers for a second and he blinks.

 

When he opens his eyes, Seongwoo is gone.

 

 

* * *

 

He stands there for a long time. 

 

Almost as if in a trance, he stares at the vanity as it slowly crumbles into black ashes.

 

He can hear the neighbors call out to him in concern. The thick gather of smoke did raise a few warnings.

 

But Daniel was so still. He was in the same exact position that Seongwoo had embraced him in except now that reality has settled in, he feels cold and the imprint of his lover is gone forever.

 

It was a long time before the fire eventually dies out. But when it did, Daniel can feel his feet take him inside where he falls onto his grandmother's couch.

 

He probably dropped the file somewhere but he doesn’t care.

 

Daniel passes out as the numbness in his body continues to consume him.

 

 

* * *

 

One day passes, and then another. The nothingness that absorbs Daniel continues on for a whole week.

 

At first, his phone kept on vibrating but it eventually dies and Daniel is left with no other distractions as he stares into space all day long.

 

He hasn't moved at all from the couch as he couldn't find the strength to.

 

Daniel's mind is blank and he feels empty for days. 

 

He abandoned his life and didn't think of the consequences that he knew were accumulating.

 

Daniel was ready to go through another week of doing nothing but his plan was forgotten when he sees Jisung barge into the house.

 

"You left the door open this entire time? Strangers could've entered!" Jisung reprimands him as he heads to where Daniel was.

 

Daniel doesn't reply as he continues on to look at the blank space ahead of him.

 

"You also smell terrible but I'm not about to get into that because of the bigger issue here." Jisung grabs Daniel and sits him up to make room on the couch. "Seriously, you can't just leave and not tell anyone where you went! Your parents were worried sick, I was worried sick!" He scolds at him.

 

Daniel tiredly turns head to face Jisung.

 

"Seongwoo." He says, barely audible.

 

Jisung looks taken aback by the voice that he knows doesn’t sound like him. He gives Daniel a heartbroken look. "Yeah, I know. The whole world knows by now."

 

Ironically, he feels like he is brought back to life when his heart stops, "Everyone knows about Seongwoo?" Daniel clamps his hands onto the elder's shoulders, "What happened?"

 

Jisung jumps at his forwardness but continues, "I don't know how it happened, but a week ago, somebody uploaded photocopied pictures and information from Seongwoo's case file onto a Naver post. The post went viral because it had a videotaping of some prestigious family confessing about how they were responsible for Seongwoo's murder. Oh and," Jisung looks at him with big eyes, "It turns out you were right when you asked if Seongwoo was a ghost. The guy died a long time ago."

 

Jisung’s last words causes him to feel a pang of pain but he chooses to focus on a particular detail instead, "Why did the family confess to what they did?"

 

“Well in the video, you could hear Seongwoo talking and I guess he paid them a visit. They must have been scared to have seen a ghost or something.”

 

He is stunned as he makes the connections in his head. Seongwoo didn’t plan on leaving his truth buried forever.

 

It’s silent before Jisung speaks up again, “So where is Seongwoo now?”

 

He looks away, 

 

“Gone.”

 

He feels Jisung pull him into a hug.

 

The warmth and familiarity from being held brings back unwanted feelings.

 

“He is gone forever hyung. I couldn’t stop him.” His voice is strangled on Jisung’s shirt.

 

They don’t say anything else as Jisung continues to rub soothing patterns on his back. This continues for some time before a thought crosses Daniel’s mind that makes him jump up. He searches around and finds the case file on the floor near the back door. Some of the papers scattered out and he makes a move to grab them and put them back in.

 

Jisung takes one look at the item in his hands and he gives Daniel a pointed look,

 

“Don’t tell me what I think that is.”

 

Daniel ignores what Jisung said, “We have to get this back to Jaehwan.”

 

The elder looks at him incredulously, “All the cops are looking for this you know! What is Jaehwan suppose to do? And also, your fingerprints are probably all over that.”

 

“We’ll do something about the fingerprints and Jaehwan will figure out a plan.”

 

Jisung sighs, “I don’t know what you expect him to do, but okay.”

 

Daniel has to honor what Seongwoo wanted.

 

Even when the guy is gone, Daniel would do anything for him.

 

 

* * *

 

Having Jisung as company meant that Daniel had to get himself together sooner or later.

 

They spend another day at his grandmother's place because Daniel wasn't quite ready to go back to his apartment. 

 

While it’s hard, Jisung was a comforting strength that helped remind Daniel that he didn't have to cope with the loss on his own. 

 

He ordered them food and made sure that Daniel washed up for the first time in a few days. Daniel tells himself that he would have to leave the house sooner or later.

 

Daniel thinks he is almost ready but then he remembers the backyard.                                                                                                                                                       

 

It was Jisung who went to the back to tidy up the mess that was made because Daniel couldn’t force himself too. 

 

Daniel felt anxious as he could visualize the elder going out to the back and looking at the black ashes that were left behind. He remembered what he saw, that dark mass was the only physical proof that linked back to Seongwoo.

 

He expected Jisung to come back inside with a container of the ashes but is puzzled when the elder appeared with an unknown object in his hands.

 

"Um," Jisung holds the object up to Daniel, "I didn't find ashes, but this was near the door and I almost tripped on it. Did you put this there?”

 

Daniel shakes his head as looks at it closely and makes it out to be a small carved wooden figure. It was a carving of some temple that Daniel didn't recognize. The details gave the object a high-quality feel and he was so confused as to why it was in the backyard. He knows it wasn’t there the last time he was outside.

 

It was only when he took the figure from Jisung's hands and turned it around to see something on the bottom.

 

There was a set of numbers etched in and he didn't know what they meant at first. He initially thinks that they represented some kind of date but he couldn't point out any familiar dates that matched the numbers. 

 

Daniel kept on staring at the set of numbers until Jisung pipes up,

 

"Are these numbers coordinates?"

 

He looks at the numbers and he suddenly is able to make out what could be map coordinates.

 

Daniel gives Jisung a wide-eyed look before he runs to the computer that he knows his grandma keeps in the office room. He immediately pulls up a map and plugs in what he believes to be the latitude and longitude points. When the program figures out the location, a map of forested mountains show up.

 

Daniel frowns at the unfamiliar place, he sees that it's still in the country but he has no idea where it is. Daniel keeps staring at the location before he gets hit with an urge to check out the place as he feels like it might have something to do with Seongwoo. 

 

When Jisung follows him into the room, Daniel turns to him and grabs his shoulders, "Hyung, we have to go here," He points to the map on the monitor. 

 

Jisung looks at him like he's crazy when he see's that it is way out of Seoul.

 

"And where exactly is this place? Niel, it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere."

 

"It is in the middle of nowhere but maybe that's where all the answers are! I swear that this object must be telling us that we have to go here." Daniel exclaims.

 

Jisung crosses his arms and looks like he is deep in thought, "There is no proof that this is true. I mean, it is really strange that this temple thing was just out there, but maybe it's a far reach to say that it's telling us where to go."

 

Daniel begs, "Hyung, we have to at least check it out once. We'll go out here for a day and if we don't find anything then we'll just come back. Please, hyung."

 

The elder goes quiet as he thinks it through. Daniel was desperate for anything that could explain the anomalies that confuses him to no ends. He thinks that it could help him understand Seongwoo a bit better and that is something that he wants badly.

 

Jisung eventually sighs, "Fine, okay. I'll take a few days off and we'll find a way on how to get there."

 

Daniel is relieved that his closest friend would be accompanying him on the trip. He was convinced that he would have to go alone and the thought unnerved him. He doesn't think he can handle being on his own for the next while.

 

"I'll look up a route, it doesn't look like it'll take more than a day to drive there." Daniel gets back to the computer and notes the closest towns to the place.

 

With Jisung beside him, Daniel suddenly remembers when he got mad at him. He feels guilty and knows that he has to apologize for his words.

 

“Hyung, I’m really sorry for yelling at you the other day.”

 

Jisung smiles at him and pats his shoulder, “You had the right to be angry. I was worried for you and I wanted us to have another talk but then you disappeared,” Jisung now repeatedly jabs his finger into Daniel’s arm as punishment, “And I didn’t know where to look before your parents suggested that you might be here.”

 

“This was the last place Seongwoo was before he left.” Daniel quietly says.

 

Jisung stops his movements for a second before he wraps an arm around his shoulder.

 

“We’ll find answers, Niel.”

 

For the first time in days, Daniel feels a surge of hope and motivation. 

 

Maybe he would finally be able to answer the questions that he had never forgotten.

 

Maybe he might be able to forgive Seongwoo for what he did.

 

 

* * *

 

The plan was to take course over three days.

 

On the first day, Daniel would drive with Jisung out to where the coordinates would take them. It was a drive that would take most of the day even if they left early in the morning. He figures that they would be able to stay overnight at one of the towns that were close to the mountains.

 

The next day would have them waking up early in order to give them the time needed to actually pinpoint the exact location. This was the highlight of the trip and Daniel could predict that he would be relentless on not leaving before finding something. They only had that day to look around before they had to leave to go home on the third day.

 

It was on the night before their trip kick-started that Daniel reorders what he has to find answers to.

 

He makes a mental list and commits them to memory. 

 

He feels like it was going to rip him apart if he never finds out how he was able to encounter things that should be unreal.

 

Daniel was antsy all that night as he couldn't will himself to fall asleep. He remembers the last time he couldn't sleep and he feels hurt when his old solution of going to Seongwoo was something he can never do again.

 

Even as he lies there, the coldness of his bed seeps into his bones and it chills him with an unfamiliar feeling. He thinks it's akin to loneliness and it stays with him all night until the next morning when he drives to get Jisung.

 

As he pulls up to the campus dorms, he sees the elder rush to his car with a suitcase.

 

"What did you even pack hyung? We only need a set of clothes to change into remember?" Daniel asks when Jisung gets into the passenger seat after loading his stuff at the back.

 

Jisung amusingly rolls his eyes, "In case you have forgotten, I have to look after you and I can't depend on you to bring things we might need. For example, what if the place we stay at is infested with bugs? Did you bring your electric fly-swatter?" 

 

"No, but good thinking hyung." Daniel looks ahead as he starts to drive but he gives the elder a thumbs up from the side. 

 

"Exactly! We're going to be far from any major cities. Who knows what might show up."

 

Daniel grins to himself for the first time in awhile as he thinks about how ridiculous his friend can be sometimes. In truth, Daniel is glad to go on the trip with someone who he knows would look out for him. Even after all that has happened, he is relieved that he didn't have to lose everything.

 

The rest of the car ride goes well with ease as Daniel was able to navigate through the route he looked up in preparation for the trip. They eventually stop for gas and as he waits for his car to fill up, he looks at the distance to make out the mountains he saw on the map. He would have to drive for a few more hours in order to make to the town they would stay at, but he feels as though he is already so close to where his destination lies. 

 

He was so close and the thought propels him to go further.

 

 

* * *

 

They get to the small town when the evening begins to roll around. After eating at a family restaurant for dinner, they went to look for places to sleep at. There wasn't a wide selection of accommodations that were available and so they ended picking a place that had the most decent rates.

 

After walking into the small hotel, Daniel asks the man working at the front for a room with two beds. The man was just getting the keys when he asks, "What are you two doing in this town? There isn't much for tourist's to see around here."

 

Daniel looks at Jisung who gives him a shrug, "Well, we heard about the mountains near here."

 

The man hands them the keys, "You guy's hikers or something?"

 

"Oh, yeah, you can say that. Actually, have you heard anything strange about the mountains?" Daniel asks as he pockets the keys.

 

He looks at Daniel and Jisung oddly, "Strange? Well, I know some people get lost in the forest but I assume that happens everywhere. I don't think that there's something exceptionally different from these mountains when compared to any other ones." The man chuckles.

 

"Oh, I see," Daniel reluctantly walks away, "Well thanks anyways."

 

When they near their room, Jisung turns to Daniel, "Seems like a local doesn't even know."

 

"That was just one guy. And we'll see tomorrow what lies there anyway."

 

They stop in front of their room and Daniel fiddles with the keys until he could get the door to unlock.

 

He is the first to step into the room and also the first to fall onto the bed.

 

"I'm tired," Daniel yawns.

 

Jisung grabs his arm to haul him back up, "You are going to take a shower first. You can't just go to bed like this!"

 

Daniel whines about getting back up as he is dragged to the bathroom. Jisung gives him a pointed look before he shoves his sleep clothes into his arms and locks the door.

 

Daniel sighs as he lazily strips off his clothes. He takes a quick and hot shower and almost runs out when he's done to throw himself back on the bed.

 

He hears how the elder lectures him that his hair is still wet but he already had his eyes closed at this point.

 

It's only a little while after when he falls asleep to Jisung's voice.

 

 

* * *

 

On the next morning, Daniel is rejuvenated and he is all prepared to start the day. He has his GPS in one hand and the coordinates written down on the map he printed out.

 

They ended up eating the various snacks that Jisung packed for breakfast. The elder wasn't as energized as he was but he still followed Daniel with some vigor.

 

When they get into the car, Daniel drives as close as he could to the forested mountain area. As he looks at the map when he gets out with Jisung beside him, he takes in their surroundings and realizes that there were no signs to guide them anywhere.

 

The paths around them looked confusing when Daniel tries to compare them to the ones on the map. 

 

This was going to be harder than Daniel thought it would be.

 

He tries not to look like he's lost but Jisung was always too perceptive for his own good. 

 

"Do you even know where to go?" He hears him ask.

 

"Well, the map says that we have to go on this path...but I can't decide if it's this one," He points to the upper left path, "Or this one," He moves his finger to the upper right path.

 

Jisung gestures for the map and Daniel hands it over.

 

The elder looks at it for a moment before he says that he knows which one to take. Daniel looks at him with surprise as he wasn't able to figure it out. He decides that it would be for the best if he just lets Jisung guide the both of them to the location.

 

The walk through the forest was quiet as Jisung was focused on navigating them and Daniel was attentively paying attention to anything that might look strange.

 

It was only when they started to actually hike up that they both realize that it was going to be a long and exhausting trek.

 

"I can't believe I'm hiking in the middle of nowhere." Jisung gasps out as he sweats.

 

"At least the scenery is nice?" Daniel tries.

 

Jisung turns to glare at him and Daniel shrugs.

 

They were surrounded by trees and the air was refreshing. But the path got steeper and uneven the more they hiked and they ended up pushing their stamina. It was almost noon when Jisung declares that they were taking a break no matter what. Daniel would've agreed to one anyways as he was sweating profusely and needed to catch his breath.

 

"This is terrible. This is exactly why I don't go hiking." Jisung mutters while he fans himself.

 

Daniel wipes the sweat off his face, "This is pretty bad. But hey, we're almost there right? I mean the GPS says that we are nearing the exact coordinates."

 

"I can't honestly tell from the map. We are pretty far up though." Jisung finds a large rock and sits down. "You know what, I think I'm going to rest for awhile. Why don't you look around or something."

 

"Alright," Daniel ventures off to the side and examines everything he finds. He tries to look for what might seem out of place but nothing seems to catch his eye. Daniel doesn't want to be far from Jisung so he tries to restrict himself from going any further. 

 

But he was on his way back when he sees a small path that leads upwards. When he looks at it, he figures that it would be a short walk so he decides it wouldn't do any harm if he explored it for a moment.

 

Daniel makes the short distance to where the path ends and stands still when he sees nothing new. He is turning around to go back when something from the corner of his eye catches his attention.

 

He sees a hidden barren trail behind a cluster of trees and goes towards it. When Daniel examines where it would lead, he finds that it's impossible to tell unless he actually follows it. And so, he marks where he is and walks on the trail.

 

The trail swerves him left and right and Daniel's curiosity is piqued because of the odd direction it brings him towards. When it abruptly ends, he sees that he has no choice but to walk on the unmarked ground.

 

Daniel strolls for a few more minutes when he sees that there was a building ahead of him.

 

He squints his eyes and widens them in shock when he recognizes a familiar looking temple.

 

Daniel runs and almost trips on the tree roots jutting out from the ground. When he is in front of the temple, he makes a quick decision and he hopes that he isn't being impolite when he just walks in.

 

The inside was dark with the only light source coming from the open windows on the walls. There was no shrine or statue which Daniel found odd as he thought for sure that the building was a temple. 

 

"Hello?" He calls out.

 

The lack of reply causes Daniel to reluctantly walk around the temple. He eventually gets to the back where he sees a door. Cautiously, he slowly opens the door and takes a peek from the side. All Daniel sees are stairs that descend down into complete darkness.

 

He's getting all kinds of internal warning signs that tell him not to go down. It scares him but when he thinks about how far he's made it, he feels an urge to keep going.

 

Daniel remembers where he left Jisung and thought it would be best if they both went together.

 

He runs out of the temple and heads to where he left his friend. He is a few feet away when he hears Jisung's voice,

 

"Niel! Where are you?"

 

"Hyung, over here!" He yells out. When he sees Jisung from the distance, he waves him over.

 

When the elder finally approaches him, he bends down to take a breath, "Did you find anything?"

 

Daniel excitedly takes Jisung's hands and rushes them to the place he found.

 

"Look!"

 

He turns to see the surprised look on Jisung’s face.

 

"Is that seriously..." 

 

"You have to take a look inside as well." Daniel drags him past the entrance and back to where the stairs were.

 

"Okay, no. We are not going down there." Jisung pulls his hand away to cross his arms and give Daniel a chastising look.

 

Daniel has a doe-eyed look on that he knows is effective, "Hyung, I can protect us if anything comes at us. Mr. 180 cm with the broad shoulders and muscles remember?"

 

"Daniel, you've never hurt or attacked anything before!"

 

"We have to check out what's down there." He begs.

 

Jisung tries to drag them both back but Daniel firmly plants his feet down.

 

After his futile attempts, Jisung sighs.

 

"Fine. We'll only take a quick look."

 

Both of them pull out their phones to turn on the flashlight and Daniel finds that the lack of darkness makes him braver as he heads down.

 

The stairs take them further than Daniel had initially thought. The constant sight of steps made Daniel believe that the flight down was endless. He was relieved when he was able to make out the last few steps before they would be on the ground again. When they've both made to the bottom, they are greeted with a room with bookshelves filled from the ceiling to the floor with large books.

 

They both wander around to look at the books but they saw that they were printed in a language that they've never seen before.

 

Daniel was in the middle of flipping through the pages of a book when a voice that wasn't Jisung's scares him,

 

"Please don't touch those."

 

He whips around but he only sees an equally terrified Jisung.

 

Daniel keeps turning to see where the source of the voice was and his heart rate shoots up when he sees someone come out of the shadows.

 

Daniel and Jisung both shine their lights on the individual who flinches from the brightness.

 

"I haven't seen such a bright light in so long," The stranger continues. Daniel makes out the person to be a man who looked about their age. He keeps walking towards him before he stops at a respectful distance.

 

"Who are you?" Jisung chokes out.

 

"I used to go by Jonghyun. I guess you can still call me that."

 

Even in the unflattering light, Jonghyun looks like a young handsome guy with his charming features. But his attractive appearance only adds to Daniel's suspicions.

 

"Why are you down here?" He asks next.

 

Jonghyun looks down before he looks back at him with an intense stare, "I live here.” Jonghyun continues, "I crafted my livelihood here from the past thousands of years."

 

Daniel whips his head back and forth between Jisung and Jonghyun. Jonghyun looks unfazed from his confession but Jisung has a look on his face that was probably similar to his own.

 

"Excuse me, but what?" Jisung utters out.

 

Jonghyun folds his hands together in a polite manner, "I have lived here for centuries now. I do my work here at this place."

 

"What work? And how are you so old when you look this young? You are not making any sense." Daniel says befuddled.

 

"Daniel, I think you've already met someone who looks younger than what their actual age was," Jonghyun says in a calm tone.

 

Daniel gapes and tries to form words from his parted mouth. There were many alarms that Jonghyun's statement gave him. The guy was a stranger but he knows his name and Daniel is pretty sure he is alluding to something that he feels uncomfortable about.

 

"W-what?" he forces out.

 

"I oversee a lot and I know who made the vanity that Ong Seongwoo died on."

 

Daniel is so shaken up that he takes a moment to recollect himself, "How can that be? I knew the vanity wasn't some ordinary furniture you can get from the store, but you know who made it?"

 

"Follow me," Was all Jonghyun said before he ushers for them to come.

 

Jisung immediately attaches himself to Daniel's side, "Niel, I think I'm going insane."

 

"You and me both, hyung," Daniel mutters before he goes after Jonghyun.

 

They end up in another room that had a dim lamp as the only light source. The orange hazy setting gives Jonghyun an even more mystical look.

 

Jonghyun gestures for them to sit down as he opens a book on his lap.

 

Daniel thinks that he sees the man trace something into thin air and is taken aback when random flashes of light suddenly appear.

 

He also thinks that he is actually losing it when a brief image of Seongwoo shows up in front of him for a few seconds.

 

"Was that..." Daniel couldn't finish his sentence.

 

"Seongwoo?"

 

He is still as he felt as though he couldn't move at all. Thankfully, Jisung was able to recover quickly next to him, "What did you just do?" He asks a rather rational question.

 

Jonghyun quietly closes his book and places it on the side of his chair, "I have studied the abnormal and unordinary when everyone else was focused on the laws of the earth and scientific reasoning. What intrigued me most was the fleeting essence of life. I wanted to capture it and keep things alive when they were long past their due date. I believe this interest only grew when I met my lifelong partner."

 

He pauses before he quietly continues, "Hwang Minhyun was the center of my universe."

 

The name he knows so well causes brief flashes of the face that it belonged too.

 

"You don't mean..." Jisung trails off.

 

"Who you know as your friend is just about as old as I am." Jonghyun shifts in his seat, "Minhyun was of status but he wasn't destined for anything in particular. It was by coincidence that we met. I was already deep into my research when I came to have a relationship with Minhyun. I wanted forever with him and I thought he did as well. What I studied was of his interest so we both became test subjects to my research. When my work came through, we realized that we had all the time in the world to be together as old age never existed to us anymore. I thought that as long as we were together, we could overcome anything. But my mistake was that I would teach him my learnings on the side. I should have known that it would've created a disaster in our otherwise peaceful lives."

 

"Minhyun knows how to do these things?" Daniel asks incredulously. 

 

"Not anymore, but back then, he would be able to decipher my writings and bring some things to life. He willed himself to forget all of my teachings ever since the creation of that vanity."

 

Jisung shifts forward, "What happened?"

 

"Minhyun also had a penchant for crafting and carving wooden art. He was self-taught but he knew how to create high-quality works."

 

Daniel thinks back to the wooden figure that he left back at his apartment. He remembers all the details and assumed a talented hand must have crafted it.

 

"Minhyun eventually became an uncle and he was working on a vanity that he wanted to gift to his nephew. He had asked before if I would bless the vanity so that the nephew would be able to live a long and fulfilling life. Since I would do anything for Minhyun, I agreed and thought nothing more of it.” 

 

“But I remembered before I had the chance to do anything to the vanity, we got into a useless argument that left us apart for days. I knew his nephew’s birthday was soon but Minhyun never approached me again to ask for that favor. I thought that he forgot about it, but I knew that wasn't right when I saw that a journal that I kept my work in was missing. I couldn't peg Minhyun as someone who would steal, but the truth was that he did and tried to perform the blessing himself. I would have forgotten about what he did, but it left consequences. Minhyun performed it incorrectly but we didn't notice it until the nephew’s death."

 

Daniel tries to picture the Minhyun that Jonghyun knew. It was a startling comparison to be made because Daniel always knew his friend to be so kind and genuine. The thought that he would steal someone else's work was shocking to learn about. But then, he realized that this probably has happened so long ago that Minhyun had become someone else in the time that has passed.

 

"When his nephew died young due to an illness, everyone was prepared for his funeral but then it was rumored that it was a maid that caught his reflection in the vanity's mirror and he came back to life."

 

Daniel immediately pipes up, "That's how Seongwoo appeared as well. How does he connect to all of this?"

 

Jonghyun clears his throat, "It was all Minhyun's doing. When the family found out about what he did, we were both sentenced to be executed due to their fears of the occult. We were able to run away before the execution but that meant that we lost all contact with everyone else. We didn't know what would happen to the vanity, but I assume that his nephew didn't want to destroy it. Ever since then, I was devoted to researching what Minhyun did. The blessing was meant to bring those long and fulfilled lives but it somehow twisted into becoming something that granted those another life.” 

 

He continues, “I thought the vanity was tailored only specifically to Minhyun's nephew or at least the family line, but when we managed to track the location of the vanity, we saw how a woman who was unrelated to Minhyun be granted another life. I didn't understand anything, I couldn't figure out why everything was happening like that. I watched how it reacted with various individuals as the vanity got passed on from different families. Eventually, I saw a trend appearing. There always one key aspect that related to all the individuals who got another life.”

 

When Jonghyun pauses, he shakes his head. “They all had been through some sort of tragedy that led them to live a short life. Their new life is supposed to many years longer but they, of course, will remember what happened to them. I'm sure you saw how Seongwoo dealt with that."

 

It made sense how the vanity passed from different generations to different bloodlines to eventually coming in contact with Seongwoo. He was still stunned at how involved Minhyun was in all of this and questioned his presence in their lives.

 

Daniel asks about something that Jonghyun missed, "Why is Minhyun not with you anymore? And why was he helping Seongwoo and I find out about his past?"

 

Jonghyun gives him a sad smile, "Forever is a long time and people grow apart. Minhyun still felt connected to the vanity so he followed where it went and tried to help out those who were affected by it."

 

"Minhyun could have just told us how Seongwoo appeared from the beginning but he never did." Daniel openly questions. 

 

"If I'm being honest, I don't know how his mind works. Maybe he has own agenda, I have no clue. We haven't seen each other in so long." Jonghyun subtly shifts his gaze away.

 

The ashes come to mind and Daniel thinks that it is highly probable that it was Minhyun who cleaned it up and left the figure there so that he could find the answers himself.

 

When Daniel notices Jisung was silent for a long time, he turns to him to see that he was deep in thought.

 

“Are you okay? You are all quiet.”

 

Jisung looks at the blank space in front him and says to no one in particular, “Seongwoo could have lived for a long time.”

 

Daniel internally winces at his words. He knew a lot more now than he did before, but he still couldn't wrap his mind around his choice to leave. It pains him to think about it, but he thinks that there was a probability that he loved Seongwoo more than he loved him back and that he wasn’t enough to make him stay.

 

He thinks about Jonghyun’s and Minhyun’s relationship and couldn’t help himself when asked,

 

“What caused you guys to grow apart and fall out of love?”

 

Jonghyun doesn't hesitate, “Minhyun wanted a different life but I wanted to keep the one I had.”

 

“And you guys just stopped loving each other?”

 

Jonghyun leans back,

 

“I never said that I stopped loving him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last part will be up in a bit


	9. Chapter 9

It was hard because Daniel was used to his old routine when Seongwoo still lived with him.

 

He had to get used to the fact that he lives alone now and that he only has to prepare meals for himself.

 

But years later from that day, Daniel thinks he's getting along fine. 

 

He still gets reminders of Seongwoo every day that passes by, but it doesn't tear him apart inside. He takes it all in and some would even make him smile.

 

Daniel visits his grandmother more often now. The first visit after that day was when his grandmother got mad at him.

 

"Why didn't you tell me his name was Ong Seongwoo? I looked like a fool calling him Jaehwan all the time!" She scolds him.

 

Daniel told her everything that happened even when he knew that there was a chance that she wouldn't believe him.

 

But she did and she became one of the people who he goes to talk to when he has Seongwoo on his mind.

 

The other person he talks to is Minhyun.

 

He remembers when he almost sped back to Seoul after their trip to the temple. Daniel kept trying to call Minhyun who didn’t pick up until the late evening when they were almost near the city.

 

“Is it true?!” Daniel and Jisung blurted into the phone.

 

“Wait who is talking? Wha-”

 

“Did you keep the fact that you knew Seongwoo all along away from me?”

 

The line went silent.

 

“You went to Jonghyun?” Minhyun said quietly.

 

“Of course I did. Please tell me that you were the one who cleaned up the ashes and left the carving there.”

 

Daniel had parked the car off the road when Minhyun picked up. In the stillness under the darkening sky, there were barely any cars driving and the only thing Daniel heard was his own breathing.

 

He thought he waited forever before Minhyun spoke up again.

 

“I did. I did all of those things. I lied about Seongwoo but I watched over him, even when he ended his second life.”

 

“Why didn’t you do anything to stop him?” Daniel felt hurt again. Everything was becoming fresh into his mind.

 

“Daniel, I think we should talk in person.” Minhyun chose to answer instead.

 

And Daniel vividly remembers abruptly hanging up after saying that he and Jisung would meet Minhyun at his house when they were back in the city. He couldn’t think straight and it nearly resulted in him getting into an accident while driving. It was Jisung who forced him out of the driver’s seat and Daniel was stuck in the passenger side with his blurry thoughts and with nothing to distract them.

 

He was on edge before he saw a familiar apartment complex come to view. Daniel nearly bolted out of the car before Jisung could park it properly. He was already running up the stairs and ran straight to where Minhyun’s room was.

 

Daniel knocked as Jisung caught up behind him, taking in exasperated breaths.

 

“These past few days have really tested my athleticism.”

 

Daniel didn’t reply when he realized that the door was open and he swung it open with unintentional force.

 

He saw Minhyun, a bit startled as he paused on his way to another room. When he noticed that it was just Jisung and Daniel, he relaxed a little.

 

Minhyun ushered them inside and played a good host while Daniel nearly screamed out in impatience. 

 

When Minhyun had settled down on the couch in front of them, Daniel doesn’t wait.

 

“Why?” He asked again.

 

Minhyun sighed.

 

“I can’t force someone who was once dead to live when he doesn’t want to.”

 

Daniel gripped his pants from the side, “Seongwoo was so perfectly fine that it still confuses me that he chose to end it all.”

 

Daniel is surprised when Jisung answered, “Was he really fine though?” He continued, “Daniel, I don’t think that you are a delusional person. But after hearing everything, I think that Seongwoo was the greatest actor ever as he made you believe in his facade. He wanted you to think that he was all fine inside but he couldn’t keep it up in the end and so he crumbled the way that he did.”

 

It was still so hard for Daniel to understand. He thought about Jonghyun again and how someone could love someone else so much but that someone else could only love them a quarter of that same love. It broke him inside when the terrible thought that he wasn’t enough for Seongwoo kept coming up.

 

Minhyun jolted Daniel out of his thoughts when he placed a hand on his knee.

 

“I’ve seen many people come to life like how Seongwoo did. All of them have experienced death and I have come to learn that it is natural that they feel where their proper place is back at where the end is.”

 

“Why did Seongwoo even bother at his second chance then? Why did he come out of the mirror?” He is filled with ugly feelings that he hated but can’t deny.

 

Minhyun gave Daniel a calm look when Daniel is a storm inside.

 

“You lose everything the second that death comes. All you have is the blankness that comes with the nothing that you are left with. You told me that Seongwoo was left in that attic for so many years, never seeing light. You can’t blame him for the hope he felt when he first saw you and he didn’t know anything.”

 

“Why couldn’t he stay hopeful?”

 

“The truth makes it hard for a person to stay bright, don’t you think? And it all came suddenly to Seongwoo. Don’t you that when he remembered, he looked at how much the world has progressed from when he was first alive?”

 

Daniel stayed quiet. He thought about these things before, how Seongwoo was coping in the new world where everyone has moved on from the past. Daniel really was fooled if he believed that Seongwoo was doing fine. Seongwoo kept wanting for them to move on, but Daniel now thought that he was only saying those things to convince his own self.

 

“Can I ask you one more question?” He softly asked.

 

Minhyun nodded, “Of course.”

 

“Why did you keep the truth hidden from us? You knew about Seongwoo and the vanity before that day at the cafe but you only chose to give us small hints.”

 

Minhyun retracted his hand and placed them in his lap.

 

“I cannot interfere in that process where Seongwoo discovers the truth on his own accord. I have learned from the past that it’s best that I only help guide you to find your own answers.”

 

“But why?”

 

“The truth sounds different coming from me then if you were to find it for yourself. As well, if I told Seongwoo about his past, he was going to ask how I knew. The whole past about the vanity would spiral out and I knew that if Seongwoo found out about the other people that were like him, he was going to ask about how their second life was like. I do not have it in me to tell him that their fates were all similar.”

 

“Everyone who was like Seongwoo had the same ending?” Daniel said quietly.

 

“Not quite the same, but the more they live, the more their mental health declines. Seongwoo, unfortunately, had an encounter with someone who was like that. But you must know by now how her second life ended.”

 

Minhyun then had a wistful look in his eyes.

 

“I wanted him to live too. Just this once, I wanted happiness to result from my failings.”

 

Daniel then asked,

 

“Will you leave too? Now that the vanity is gone.”

 

Minhyun tilted his head,

 

“The vanity is never gone.”

 

“But will you leave?”

 

“No. Not now at least.”

 

Minhyun took his hand and squeezed it.

 

“I only follow where my fate brings me.” He looked straight into Daniel’s eyes,

 

“It’s the way of the world. An order that persists even when you want to deny it.”

 

 

* * *

 

When Daniel gets off from his classes now, he always takes a moment to stand outside his balcony.

 

The air was nice up here during all the seasons. 

 

During the winters, he brushes the snow off so that he could go outside in his slippers and gaze at the white world below. The street lights during the winter months sometimes gave the dark night an orange glow all around that pairs perfectly with falling snowflakes.

 

Spring and fall were almost similar seasons to Daniel. They both brought the air with a subtle chill that Daniel admits that he loves a little bit too much. He feels warm even when his body shivers slightly. In the spring when trees become green and in the fall when they turn into shades of reds and yellows, Daniel always make sure that he doesn’t miss a single day as he watches the changes happen on their natural course.

 

It’s only the summers that Daniel doesn’t enjoy as much. The summers in Seoul are still too hot and that might never change.

 

But Daniel knows that the night skies still look brilliant during the summertime. Even when it’s hot and the air has no breeze, he would still look up at the sky and let himself get lost in all the other miracles that are hidden in the anomalies of the world.


	10. Chapter 10




End file.
